This article examines another aspect (sometimes ignored or underestimated) of the concept of power - soft power - relating it to the case of a rising power: China. It begins by defining the notion of soft power, distinguishing it, for this purpose, from the concepts of hard power and smart power. In a first phase, the text brings to bear theory in order to highlight the main features of soft power. The second - essentially practical - phase is based on a case study: the analysis of China's behavior in terms of soft power. The text thus provides the notion of soft power with practical applicability, these two elements being shown to be not mutually exclusive, but rather able to interact harmoniously. How does the Chinese "charm offensive" manifest itself in Southeast Asia? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese soft power? How does China behave when dealing with the issue of rogue states? How does the Chinese soft power behave in the framework of China's maritime strategy? These and other issues are addressed in this article. In practice,it will be demonstrated that, unlike in the past, soft power is no longer a "strange" element in Chinese official discourse. In fact, the China of today seems to be more concerned with the image it has in the world.
Soft Power; China; Beijing Consensus; Washington Consensus