My new article just out @ForeignAffairs argues that the #US and #China are not directly competing for #SoftPower. Instead, what we are witnessing is #coexistence of their distinct approaches and practices. foreignaffairs.com/articles/china… 1/10 First, I contrast the more ideational or ideological #SoftPower conception and practice by the #US with the more #pragmatic approach of #China. The #US emphasizes liberal values, whereas #China stresses material welfare and mutual development as part of its vision. 2/10

In my first collaboration with talented @WendyZhou502 for @TheAtlantic we argue that #China primarily sees the #RussiaUkraine conflict through the prism of the #UnitedStates and more broadly of the #West. 1/11
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/… We analyze #China's debates about #UkraineWar on #weibo, official statements and in selective media, and find that #ProRussia leaning is rooted in anti #Western sentiments. The key protagonist in many of these posts is not #Russia or #Ukraine, but #US and #NATO. 2/11