The rise of China's soft power

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By Oliver Rahman


Just this February, China has taken the #2 spot for soft power in the world, with the United States being first. 10 years ago, China was only #30!

Why is this happening?


This ranking reflects China's growing influence in culture, media, education, and sustainability, as well as its strong reputation in business and trade. With China spending billions of dollars on movies such as Ne Zhe 2 (2025), the Wandering Earth 2 (2023), and Better Days (2019) getting huge recognition outside of China with some making hundreds of millions or even BILLIONS worldwide.


China's companies like BYD and Tencent, and Temu are getting more prominent worldwide. Countries in Europe and Asia have been buying Chinese cars faster than American car companies in recent years. Temu was able to break into American space and take over an in-demand industry, and Tencent continues to influence gaming worldwide owning/holding popular game companies such as Riot, Supercell, and Epic Games.


Tourism in China is on the rise


Tourism in China has seen a significant rise as more travelers discover the country's breathtaking landscapes, vibrant cities, and rich cultural heritage. Much of this increase in tourism can be attributed to creators like IShowSpeed doing in real life streams garnering tens and hundreds of millions of views across platforms. This has caused Chinese tourism to increase 40% in the last year!


China is definitely on the rise and has been for some time. I remember when I lived in China seeing the tall skyscrapers and colossal architecture for myself when I lived there. However, China is still dealing with issues such as unemployment rates, a declining birth rate, and censorship. It will be interesting how China navigates these issues in the coming years.


What should we take away from this?


What I think we should take away from this is that we need to step up our game. We are still #1 in economy and soft power, but if China solves the aforementioned issues, they could potentially rival America as a global superpower. Companies like Tesla and other American industries don't feel a huge need to innovate because of their position with tariffs/the world stage. But China is slowly catching up, if we start innovating now, and being more risk taking we might be able to rise up with China. And if we're ever open to it, an alliance in the near future would work wonders for both economies.


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