A new Heritage Foundation research paper by Chinese expert Dean Cheng lays out the principles and theory behind China’s public diplomacy advances—or, as the Chinese call it, “public opinion warfare.” “Winning Without Fighting: Chinese Public Opinion Warfare and the Need for a Robust American Response” is highly recommended reading for lawmakers, Pentagon planners, State Department personnel, and anyone who sees China as a global competitor of the U.S.

China, home to the world's second-biggest economy, is experiencing a period of prosperity. However, when it comes to "soft power", the country remains a work in progress. In trying to meet this challenge, particularly in the performing arts, China has turned to Broadway impresario Robert Nederlander Jr.

Culture is helping to bolster the country's "soft power" and build its influence. It's a success story that may offer important clues for China as it seeks to use culture to bolster its own soft power and a reminder of the halcyon days when Hong Kong's Canto-pop stars seemed destined for global fame.

Recently, Beijing has launched what Joshua Kurlantzick deems a “charm offensive”- China’s rising soft power. In the quest for closer relations and natural resources, China has begun to transform the world balance of power.

An article in the Global Times Thursday cited the example of the Letpadaung copper mine project, jointly established by China and Myanmar, which has become the target of growing protests. Leader of Myanmar's National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, has said she will visit the area. She has also insisted that Myanmar should stick to its agreement with Chinese companies.

The initiative, which was launched by the William Sisters, Serena and Venus, during their recent visit, is set to go from school to school, inspiring girls to take the front row in sports and develop an indomitable and tenacious spirit that will help them challenge and conquer stereotypes and other traditional impediments to their success.

SOMETIMES China flexes its soft power without really having any idea it has done so. That appears to be what happened on November 27th when the People’s Daily Online, a website of the Communist Party’s English-language mouthpiece, republished an article by the Onion, a satirical version of an American newspaper, declaring North Korea’s Kim Jong Un the “Sexiest Man Alive”.

Deserting debt-laden, recession-racked North Atlantic and Japan for the fast-growing emerging market world may have been irresistible for some investors but many others still remain timid. Why? It may be a case of "hard power" versus "soft power".