The growth in the image and power of China as a global actor with vast geopolitical and geo-economical determinations has been, perhaps, the biggest story of the 21st century.
The one constituent not used much by the Chinese cache lately has been “soft power,” which is an instrument of inducement as well as cultural and intellectual influence. Today, China seems to be utilising this tool as well. Pakistan is also making full use of it to boost ties with its northern neighbour.
The Belt and Road Initiative is perceived to be more than an economic play. It is major strategic ingenuity with clear impact on the standing regional balance of power. This is not soft power. It is merely the prediction of the national influence with a unique mixture of ethnic appeal, monetary incentives and powerful content. Pakistan has, of course, utilised this as a brilliant exception; making it a useful conduit on both ends wherein Pakistan gains in terms of development, economics and education while China can make its way to become an important actor in the global and regional power play.
The idea of utilising diplomacy and institutions to harbour image and prowess is perhaps one of the most generalized definitions of soft power. But this holds true for a lot of factors as encapsulated by Joseph Nye Jr. With this tool, the Chinese Foreign Office is spreading its outreach towards not just South Asia but to other regions including Latin America, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East. This also includes the Chinese media, tourism and education exchange programmes, which have unleashed the raw force of Chinese soft image as a stable and well-endowed state. Furthermore, media outlets like CCTV and Xinhua News have given an Eastern voice to the otherwise Western-oriented international media.
Soft power diplomacy by both states is, perhaps, the best way to secure the success of CPEC
In Pakistan, with CPEC – the mega project which gave way to a new age of economic prosperity and development within Pakistan – the utility of soft power is clear, in highly positive terms. There is a people-to-people, cultural, linguistic and educational affinity, which Pakistan has come to have with China as a result of this soft power diplomacy. The airings of Chinese dramas, the celebration of Chinese New Year, cultural exchange programmes for the youth are just a few examples where Pakistan is also utilising this diplomacy as it gives Pakistanis a chance to experience China first-hand. Between 2015 and 2017, according to many statistics, a large number of Pakistani students and academics have gone to experience the Chinese education system using scholarships, which promote positive relations between the two states.
What makes this endeavour interesting is that keeping up with this, China has not forsaken its military, strategic or political ties with Pakistan. It is keeping the military and strategic trade close as well as aiding Pakistan in the infrastructural and communication development.
One of the factors in the Pakistan-US relations was the lack of soft power. There was the use of cultural diplomacy by the US, but there was also a lack of positive imaging and people-to-people contact. This was further weakened by the drone strikes and the operations carried out by US forces. Chinese policymakers are keen on undercutting these negative fringes and focus on the positive ones while keeping the strategic discourse of Pak-China relations.
This works well for Pakistan as it is playing its cards right. It seems that the Pakistani policymakers have finally understood that by opening this gate, more Chinese companies would be willing to invest in Pakistan. The example of Huawei is pertinent in this case. While it is a multi-million dollar endeavour; on the social forum, it serves as something far more than a technological and economic enterprise and goes on to connect people. Over only a few years, it has become one of the best cellular companies in Pakistan. This basically means that Huawei has become a beneficial outlet for Pakistanis by generating jobs in the telecom sector.
In one way, the soft power diplomacy by both states is perhaps the best way to secure the success of CPEC. If it relies solely on economics and liberal ideals, the project risks getting stagnated. With other actors and entities keen to disrupt this project in terms of politics and strategy, soft power diplomacy safeguards it because it builds a deeper internal connection.
The writer is a research fellow at the Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution and visiting faculty at School of Politics and International Relations at Quaid-i-Azam University