China's most expensive film, a bloody blockbuster about the Japanese army's massacre of civilians in Nanjing, will be released in cinemas across the country on Friday as Beijing steps up its efforts to project its "soft power" across the world.

Mr Nye himself drew a link between soft power and Sun Tzu in a 2008 book, “The Powers to Lead”. Sun Tzu, he said, had concluded that “the highest excellence is never having to fight because the commencement of battle signifies a political failure”. To be a “smart” warrior, said Mr Nye, one had to understand “the soft power of attraction as well as the hard power of coercion”.

With the opening up of the country and the entry of the icons of global trademarks, Beijing started to realise the importance of so-called “soft power”. While the Americans have a lot of problems in many parts of the world, their way of life and their culture — particularly their popular culture — are attractive to hundreds of millions of people around the globe.

Public sentiment here against China has worsened since the captain of an illegal Chinese fishing boat allegedly killed a Korea Coast Guard officer on Monday. Public anger further deepened as Beijing only expressed regret, falling short of offering an official apology.

So far, Beijing's soft power strategy has focused on ramping up the Chinese media overseas, with steps like state news agency Xinhua taking out advertisements at New York's Times Square. The spread of Confucius Institutes across Asia and the world is another high-profile effort.

As a matter of fact, the region’s leaders have also expressed a common fear that China’s financial aid might be a poisonous gift, that with this soft power, Chinese investments might lead to economic dependency and political vassalage.

China is increasingly making its presence felt internationally. Till now, over 350 Confucius Institutes and 500 Confucius Classrooms have been founded in 105 countries and regions. Aiming to promote Chinese language and culture, the global presence of Confucius Institutes is viewed as a barometer of China's "soft power".

The Year of Chinese Culture will bring Chinese literature, arts, cultural heritages, films, acrobatics, puppet shows, among others, to different Turkish cities. It aims to introduce to the Turkish people China's long history, its splendid culture and its development achievements in rich and colorful forms.