"Having public diplomacy is like playing a football match. Playing a game is good even when you don't care about winning or losing. One gets the chance to present his side and allow others to feel his existence. But one will definitely lose if he doesn't play at all," said Fu Ying, the vice foreign minister.

The populace is becoming an extra variable to a country's diplomacy. Decades ago, diplomacy was largely a mysterious game played by politicians within certain inner circles. However, with the rise of mass media, especially the Internet, diplomacy is not just the jurisdiction of diplomats anymore.

China's Communist Party finds itself in a bind. Although it still views cinema as an ideological tool and maintains a tight leash on local productions, it also wants the domestic film industry to develop into a global commercial player.

On August 31st, little noticed outside naval analyst circles, China’s first purpose-built hospital ship left port on her inaugural mission... Peace Ark’s deployment marks the start of a new phase of Chinese soft power: medical assistance to win hearts and minds.

Indian Defense Minister A.K. Anthony was visiting South Korea last week at the invitation of his South Korean counterpart to boost defense cooperation between the two states. His visit comes two months after the Indian external affairs minister visited Seoul.

Nation Branding: Japan at Expo 2010 Shanghai.

Japan’s soft power seems to derive from the country’s ability to achieve a delicate balance between “modernity” and “tradition.” Pavilion Commissioner General, Mr. Hiroshi Tsukamoto, discusses how both the “hi-tech Japan” and the “cool, beautiful Japan” are presented at Shanghai Expo. He also shares thoughts on the Expo as a venue for public diplomacy.

More than anyone else, it is the Chinese who fear the dragon that is supposed to symbolise their gargantuan, swallow-you-whole economy, which has just overtaken Japan to become the world's second largest. China wants to be seen as the loong, which is a softer, entirely auspicious dragon-like being that is loathe to, in fact incapable of, breathing fire.