Yet on July 23 and 24, the two nations shared a bonhomie typical of their cultural diplomacy, when the Oscar-winning documentary “Saving Face,” filmed in Pakistan, premiered in New Delhi and Mumbai. Brought to India by the Asia Society, the short film drew packed audiences in both cities, with over 550 people turning up in Delhi and about 475 in Mumbai.

"Every country tries to promote its views using 'soft power' and it's not surprising that China would try to do it as its power increases," he said. "Promoting 'soft power,' even with Hollywood's cooperation, is difficult if a country's policies are too far out of step with prevailing global norms.

2012 marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. To celebrate the occasion, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin hosted a reception on the opening night of the Hong Kong Film Festival in Berlin yesterday which pays tribute to the extraordinary story of this vibrant and energetic city through the eyes of its filmmakers.

Some people say we're trying to export Chinese films to the United States," he said. "That does not reflect our real thinking. What Chinese films lack is content and concepts, not [distribution] channels. The U.S., especially Hollywood, is so strong for film production. So if we're going to produce films, we need to work together.

Despite close economic interests ties, culturally the two countries are still in the getting to know each other phase.

Prof Davutoglu in effect argues that Turkey is able to exercise soft power in its region because of the very qualities the founders of the Turkish Republic in 1923 tried to cast aside. The nation’s first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, famously tried to draw a line under a stale and unprofitable historical legacy in order to play catch-up with the west.

A Bite of China, a hit documentary focused on Chinese cuisine, is reaching out across the ocean and attracting fans in Japan.

Going global is an ambition pursued by Chinese film makers for decades. Yet the reality is Chinese movies make their fame on the world stage largely through Kongfu films. At the ongoing 15th Shanghai International Film Festival, Chinese film makers are trying to tell the world they have more to offer.