Beijing needs to tackle its soft power deficit

CHINA celebrates this month the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. While Beijing has much to celebrate, it also faces several very pressing challenges, of which the demonstrations in Hong Kong are only the most visible right now.

One of the conundrums facing Beijing with the Hong Kong protests is that it has the muscle to put them down. Yet, in so doing, this would exacerbate the soft power deficit that the country already faces - which has the potential to become a growing headache for the ruling Communist Party in the 2020s.

China's soft power problems stem, ironically, from its very success in rapidly becoming a nascent superpower. Indeed, the nation's rise to greater prominence has been one of the defining features of the post-Cold War period, and this has been reinforced by major trade and diplomatic forays such as the Belt and Road initiative. Take the example of Beijing's growing economic power. International Monetary Fund (IMF) data since 2014 has asserted that the nation's economy is now larger than its US counterpart on a purchasing power parity basis which makes adjustments for the fact that goods are cheaper in China and other countries relative to the United States. However, the consequences of the country's generally strong growth in recent decades have been more than economic. In terms of perceptions, many believe the global balance of power has swung very significantly.