In recent weeks, business deals between Australian and Chinese media groups have raised concerns over potential Chinese government influence in the Australian press. But according to a report in the Australian Financial Review, the media is not the only institution that has recently received Chinese government money as part of a soft power push by Beijing.

A US-led push for India to join a club of countries controlling access to sensitive nuclear technology made some headway on Thursday as several opponents appeared more willing to work towards a compromise, but China remained defiant.

Traditional allies driven to act as their rivals step up efforts to win over their friends. "If China feels that US effort to contain China is getting severe and intense, China will make the strategic move to invite Kim Jong Un to Beijing as an international warning to the US," he added.

The focus this year has been selected with the theme of "ASEAN-China education exchange year", Derry added. As such, he said, there will be more efforts to increase cooperation in the education sector, people-to-people exchanges and promoting awareness between the two peoples. 

Surprisingly, some of these leaders, particularly in Russia and China, have been wielding a sophisticated and deceptive soft power beyond their borders that is proving more enduring and effective than in the past. Their tactics are asymmetrical and subversive, using deception and disinformation, not easily confronted.

Australians think China already dominates Asia – more than the Chinese even believe it themselves. [...] It's all in a sobering set of survey results that point to the success of Chinese soft power diplomacy here in Australia, according to Simon Jackman, chief executive of Sydney University's US Studies Centre, which carried out the survey.

Several miles away, a flashier Pyongyang A Ri Rang Restaurant on soi (alley) 26 of Bangkok's Sukhumvit Road also offers food, but with the added fun of karaoke, a live floor show and tours of North Korea.

Every Sunday afternoon, rain or shine, a group of people gathers at a park in Tokyo’s bustling Ikebukuro district, where Japanese people studying Chinese and Chinese living in Japan can engage in lively conversation.