Cambridge University has come under pressure to reveal the identity of a mysterious Chinese foundation that is donating £3.7 million for a new professorship, amid fears that the pressure to raise funds may have exposed it to backdoor diplomacy by Beijing, which granted China an opportunity to deploy "soft power".

After experiencing democracy and freedom of expression, Taiwanese are unlikely to settle for anything less than the open society that they have today. Serious moves toward unification will depend on the effectiveness of China’s soft-power approach, which cannot be limited only to the attractiveness of its economy if it is actually to succeed.

The respect that India has been able to command at the international arena has come in no small measure by this soft power of the overseas Indian, who the world over are known for their values of hard work, of excellence and enterprise and respect for their communities and adopted countries.

It is time for Ankara to recognize that there are serious differences between it and Tehran's regional visions. All in all, Iran's lack of democracy limits the scope of this country's foreign policy. Iran cannot generate the soft power that would show it to be a natural supporter of all pro-democratic movements in the Islamic world.

If anything, its increasing influence as a global soft power is even more impressive than its 'hardware' achievements, be it in terms of armaments or automobile production. From Bollywood to new-age gurus, from yoga to basmati rice, Brand India has earned itself international recognition. It's all dressed up and ready to sit at the high table with the rest of the global grown-ups.

It is soft power that will to a large extent make or unmake superpowers of the future. China and India are the obvious candidates to be considered as the future superpowers. India will have to pit itself against the might of the Chinese economic machine.

“Our strategy is to focus on domestic and regional growth,” she said. But aside from the hard economic power, she added, the creative industries and the soft power of culture are also on the rise. “Indonesia has the potential to grow its creative industries and it also adds to national pride,” she said. “The challenge is how to make it grow.”

The ROC government has long faced an array of seemingly insurmountable obstacles as it goes about its business in a world increasingly shaped by the forces of globalization. But these have been largely overcome through the use of soft power, which can be defined as a country’s ability to influence events through persuasion and attraction as opposed to military of financial coercion.