Professor Praises China’s Diplomacy

The United States’ policy towards China over the last decade has worked, former Kennedy School of Government (KSG) Dean Joseph S. Nye told an audience that packed the school’s forum last night.

Nye, who was involved in setting China policy as assistant secretary of defense in the Clinton administration, said that “China is one of the rare instances where, between Clinton and Bush, policies have remained roughly the same.” He said both administrations had sought to “balance and integrate” China, and said that this combination of boosting China’s neighbors while welcoming China into the international community had proven highly effective.

Nye was joined by Lan Xue, a professor at the Tsinghua University School of Public Policy in Beijing, as well as two Harvard scholars—an emeritus professor, Ezra F. Vogel, and the director of KSG’s China Public Policy Program, Anthony J. Saich—on a panel about “China’s soft power.”

“Soft power” is a term coined by Nye, initially with reference to the United States. In a 2004 Foreign Affairs article, he described “soft power” as the “ability to attract others by the legitimacy of U.S. policies and the values that underlie them.” China, the panel observed, is increasingly using diplomacy, culture, and popular appeal to conduct its foreign policy.

Nye began by arguing that “China’s culture is becoming more popular than it used to be.” He said that China is attracting more foreign tourists, and China Radio International is now more widely broadcast in other East Asian nations than the U.S.-backed Voice of America.

Nye also pointed to the success of these efforts: a recent poll found that a majority of citizens in 23 out of 33 countries polled had a favorable view of Chinese power, against just 13 nations where a majority had a favorable opinion of U.S. power.

An audience member suggested that Chinese soft power could be a threat to the United States. But Nye responded that this was not inevitable. “The rise of Chinese power is not necessarily bad for other countries,” he said, arguing that if China remained peaceful, it could instead help East Asia become richer and more stable.

According to Nye, “nations can work together to increase soft power” through cultural exchange programs and trade agreements, for example.

Vogel agreed, pointing to China’s recent offer of a giant panda to Taiwan as an example of its efforts to be liked by its neighbors.

Students at the event appeared to find it thought-provoking. Alex R.S. Sloane ’09 said that “it made me think about the interplay of Chinese-US relations in a whole new way.” And Joshua G. Allen ’09 added, “It made me wonder what China’s goal is in projecting soft power.”