From The Newsweek: China has used soft power in the sense that it has exercised its power softly. It does this to show that it is not a bully, unlike guess who.

Every insider knows that the key to power in Washington is being at the meeting. It’s an ancient political rule: if you’re not at the meeting, no one will protect your interests and your agenda. Well, there’s going to be a big meeting in Asia next week, and for the first time at such a high-level governmental conclave, the United States will not be present. The East Asia Summit, being hosted in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 12, should serve as a wake-up call for Washington. While we focus our attention daily on Iraq and the Gaza Strip, the 21st century is going to be shaped in Asia. Already India and China make up 40 percent of the world’s working-age population. In 20 years, it is likely that three of the world’s four biggest economies will be in Asia. And all three”Japan, China and India”will be at the meeting in Kuala Lumpur next week.

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