A cornerstone of China’s cultural diplomacy is Confucius Institutes at both Bishkek Humanities University and the Kyrgyz National University... the Beijing-funded institutes have infused their host universities with a Chinese flavor, paying for instructors and tailor-made course books that help some three thousand local students grapple with the tonal challenges of the Chinese language

"Diplomacy with a laugh," is how you might describe one of the U.S. State Department's latest efforts to promote American culture abroad. This week, three Indian-American comedians began a seven-city tour of India called Make Chai Not War. But apart from their shared Indian heritage, these three comedians have very different styles.

Cultural diplomacy encompasses everything from training in modern dance to training in modern politics. At first glance, it seems a relatively non-threatening way to project identity and influence, but its impact can be profound. China’s President Hu Jintao recently warned that “international hostile forces are intensifying the strategic plot of Westernizing and dividing China,” and added that “the international culture of the West is strong while we are weak.”

The Government of Canada was, until fairly recently, regarded as somewhat of a PD pioneer. That reputation would now be difficult to sustain. Indeed, whatever this country may at one time have achieved by way of advancing its interests through PD, those days are now long gone.

The rule is part of a broad government effort to take firmer control of China's media landscape. While targeting low-brow trends, China shows its rising interest in developing its own soft power—in the arts, media and culture—to compete with the likes of Hollywood as the nation looks to take on a broader global role.

American dance companies are once again heading overseas to practice a kind of choreographed diplomacy as part of the second season of DanceMotion USA. The program, according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “embraces the full use of diplomatic tools, in this case dance, to engage people and create opportunities for greater understanding.”

Conventional diplomacy was still necessary, but it was no longer sufficient when it came to influencing foreign governments. That influence was best brought to bear through their publics, and through international public opinion, especially when compulsion was not an option and democratization had expanded the scope for exercising influence indirectly.

Culture is critical to the future of the Party because it goes to the heart of the Party's hold on power. Economic growth has contributed to its legitimacy, but the public's belief that only the Party can make China a strong country is its real trump card. To maintain this illusion, the usual way is fulminating against the foreign forces that are trying to hold back China's rise with "Cold War thinking."