China and India have set in motion several bilateral cultural initiatives, including a massive people-to-people contact exercise, to get an edge in cooperation in culture which has fallen behind the volume of trade between the two nations

“Both Australia Network and Radio Australia represent a significant public investment in public diplomacy objectives,” he declared. “When you look at the expansion of international broadcasting as an arm of soft diplomacy, governments are using their public broadcasters to do this work...."

Meanwhile, China's official media lauded Yao's contribution to "soft power" diplomacy and his country's image overseas. The Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily, said the former Houston Rockets center had projected a wholesome image of contemporary China and boosted the country's "soft power."

U.S. President Barack Obama recently met with the Dalai Lama at the White House despite strong objections from China. Shortly after the meeting, China expressed its high indignation and determined opposition in a stern formal complaint with the United States.

"..industry should focus on promoting independent innovation and core competence to grapple with increasingly stiff challenges," Zhang said. He further suggested that sectors such as the auto industry...should enhance soft power to build brand names and compete in the overseas market.

Nicholas J. Cull, Professor of Public Diplomacy at USC was invited to the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles and delivered a lecture on public diplomacy and soft power... Professor Cull discussed the concept of public diplomacy, its new development and shared lessons.

Yao Ming is one of the few Chinese faces recognized by American audiences," said Brook Larmer, author of "Operation Yao Ming: The Chinese Sports Empire, American Big Business, and the Making of an NBA Superstar." "As much as we scoff at sports as just a game, for China it's a crucial part of its soft power diplomacy.

Beijing's strategic plan to dominate Vietnam, the intellectuals assert, is already well-advanced, to the point that the economy is virtually under Chinese control and Chinese ‘soft power' has corrupted the nation's political life.