Soft Power: China on the Global Stage

The year 2009 marks a new high-point in China's international reputation. The 2008 Beijing Olympics were certainly a huge success, a visible marker of the Asian rise to power and prestige that has been flagged up in academic and popular media for several years. Then, China seemed to be by far the most resilient of the major economies during the global financial crisis: its economy is still predicted to grow, although at a slower pace, while almost every other major country is in recession. Yet the past two years have not been easy, either for China or for its Asian neighbours. The year 2008 was supposed to be a great year for China, first-time host of the world's biggest international sporting and media fest, the Olympic Games. But suddenly a spring of high hopes turned to tragedy on May 12, 2008, day of the earthquake that devastated the country's Western provinces, killing an estimated 100 000 and displacing 5 million. All Chinese people and foreigners who have grown to love China were shocked and appalled at this natural disaster that came so soon after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar on 2 May.