Source: www.hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 21, 2010: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is focused on building soft power — the attractiveness of a country’s civilization, culture, values and political system — as well as ensuring that China is respected and admired for its achievements since reforms began in 1978. In contrast, India puts little emphasis on promoting the country’s historical, economic, political and cultural credentials to the world. Its appreciation for the value of cultural diplomacy is poor.
Although loathe to admit it, New Delhi would do well to learn lessons from Beijing about the importance of selling its strengths and achievements to the world. One lesson is the sheer amount of economic and manpower resources Beijing devotes to shaping its messages and selling its story. For example, China has funded more than 270 Confucius Institutes in 75 countries teaching Mandarin and the CCP’s version of history to more than 100 million foreigners. Beijing aims to have 1,000 institutes up and running by 2020. In contrast, India has only 24 cultural centers in 21 countries functioning under its missions abroad.
India is a rising and ambitious power. But its re-emergence has failed to excite and capture the collective imagination. This doesn’t change the fact that democratic India’s soft power potential is enormous compared to China’s.