Taiwan, a small island the size of Belgium with a population of some 23 million, is the mother of all status quo powers. If ever there was a country more interested in preserving the conditions of the here and now, it is this one.

FOR a lesson in the use of ‘soft power’, turn to Beijing. China has made culture and people-to-people contacts an essential cornerstone of its global diplomacy. The key focus so far has been on countries in the neighbourhood, with China working hard to defuse perceptions that it seeks to dominate the rest of Asia. The rest of the world is now also getting a taste of China’s cultural diplomacy.

The EU has considerable soft power which can bring about reforms in human rights and level-playing-field trading that have not only improved the lives of its own citizens but will also improve those who aspire to join (eurozone membership is something else).

Two weeks ago the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee warned that cuts of almost £40 million to the Foreign Office would lead to a "diminution of the UK's influence and soft power", leaving it with a budget smaller than that of Kent County Council.

In keeping with IMEMO’s longstanding orientation toward economic analysis, “Outlook: 2030” draws heavily on hard economic data, including figures for GDP, labor productivity, R&D investment, currency reserves, population growth and other important metrics... Outlook” even embraces the terms “soft power” and “smart power” coined by Western experts during the past two decades.

After highlighting the Obama administration's focus on soft power, in an uncharacteristically militaristic turn, Clinton emphasized the need for every country to strive for freedom, regardless of the cost.

In good promotion and marketing, including "soft power" projection, the starting point is the nature of the product itself...China now devotes increased resources to promotion – the rapid overseas expansion of CCTV is one example. But resources will not be effective unless they are integrated with the product.

China’s rapid growth and expanding influence in the International community has generated heated debates as to whether it has achieved ‘great power’ status. Whereas the Chinese are content with ‘emerging power’ status, its unprecedented growth and influence in the International community depict a nation that has taken charge.