In terms of perceptions, many international publics believe the global economic balance of power has swung sharply towards the country. It has exposed the country to greater foreign scrutiny for which it has generally been ill-prepared. This has exposed a growing "soft-power deficit" which is complicating China's rise to power.

A Pew Poll conducted last year found that that only 28% of Americans believe that their “country stands above all others.” This is down 10 percentage points from just three years earlier.

The consequences of China’s continued strong growth, and prolonged economic weakness in much of the west, have been more than financial. In terms of perceptions, many international publics believe the global economic balance of power has swung sharply toward the country.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)are becoming ever-more significant on the international scene. They continue to exert substantial influence over many areas of public debate, often because they provide ammunition to government officials and bureaucrats, as well as to candidates and political parties supposedly coming from “objective” sources.

The anti-Americanism makes it harder for American culture to make inroads through its traditional means — soft-power routes such as movies, music and education.

Cultural diplomacy is an important component to enhance international relations in an increased globalised, interdependent world, says Fiji's High Commissioner to India Yogesh Karan.

Opinion polls tell us that almost half of the British public would like the Crown to skip a generation and pass straight the Duke of Cambridge. In China this week, it felt as though it already had.

The results of yesterday's parliamentary election in Estonia would not be of interest to anyone outside the tiny nation, were they not a test of Russian President Vladimir Putin's soft power in the post-Soviet Baltic states.