Balance between China's hard and soft power

China's foreign policy has been undergoing some positive changes in order to allow it to play a bigger role in Asia and the West Pacific region. The changes gained pace after President Xi Jinping pushed for the implementation of the "Belt and Road Initiative", which he proposed in 2013, and advocated Asian people's leadership in Asian affairs at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia at Shanghai in May 2014.

Besides, the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, proposed at the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, also indicate China is working hard to widen its global influence. In particular, the FTAAP, may create difficulties for the Washington-led Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, which is still being negotiated by 12 countries.

To a certain extent, Beijing's efforts to play a greater role in the Asia-Pacific affairs can be categorized as "military strategy" and "economic strategy". The former, including Beijing's US policy, military competitions and frictions with the US and Japan, and the strong stance on the South China Sea and East China Sea issues, plays a key role in strengthening China's "hard power", which allows it to assert itself on its sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.