THERE ARE SOME rather remarkable aspects of the increasingly heated debate about China’s influence in Australia. First, the idea that China actually has any “soft power” to exert is actually rather surprising. Soft power, after all, is something that has generally been associated with our cousins in the U.S. — not “Communist China”.

This year’s Super Bowl had more than 15 million Chinese viewers, [...] Live NFL games are routinely streamed in China, and grassroots organizations like the American Football League of China have helped spread awareness by teaching adults how to play. In March, the NFL announced plans to play its first actual game in China in 2018.

The 2016 Sino-Thai Culture and Tourism Friendship Caravan was co-organized by the China International Culture Association and Thailand Tourism Bureau, in order to promote “Belt and Road” Initiative-guided cultural construction, and give a boost to cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Thailand.

[T]the Pacific Islands Forum's leaders' summit brings together members for political discussions on deeper regional cooperation and integration. And while China has been making friends in the Pacific, Australia has been making enemies.

China's Mid-Autumn Festival will fall on September 15th this year. Chinese people mark the festival by getting together with their families and eating mooncakes. Even if you're not in China, you can still get a taste of the festive atmosphere. We'll take you now to a special performance in Australia and a mooncake-making contest in Cape Town, South Africa.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pushed Buddhism diplomacy during his recent trip to Hanoi. India had announced special annual scholarships for Vietnamese students in advanced Buddhist studies at Masters/Doctoral level and scholarships of a year for study of Sanskrit at Indian institutes for Buddhist Sangha members.  

To establish a tourism image of “Panda” brand, enable the tourists from all over the world to visit panda and travel in China [...] the Global Tourism Marketing Activity “Beautiful China, More than Pandas” sponsored by National Tourism Administration of China and organized by Sichuan Tourism Development Committee was officially launched in Berlin, Germany on September 2.

Revelations that Labor senator Sam Dastyari benefited from the largesse of Chinese benefactors have prompted several Australian journalists to draw attention to the problematic prospect of Chinese influence in Australia. [...] While important stories, these are not examples of soft power. Soft power is something different and the difference is important. Understanding it helps us analyse China’s attempts at influence.