II) How does China’s current soft power stacks up against world religion, Western democracy, and other soft power?

II) How does China’s current soft power stacks up against world religion, Western democracy, and other soft power?China is currently in no position to challenge Eastern religion or Western democracy and other world dominant soft power in cultural influences. However, all things will come in due course. In terms of soft power development, 60 years is a relative short time historically for new China. Instead of accepting the simple rationale of “politically incorrect” in a Western dominated media, let us examine the relevant developments revealing why China’s world influence is not in keeping with its size, population, long historical continuity, and its current economic rise. The major reasons for China’s recent lack of progress in soft power are: Western influence is at its high, particularly coming after America’s post World War II and cold war economic and ideology triumph; although China has disentangled herself from the cold war ideological struggle, she nevertheless suffered setbacks in relation to American successes; due to years of humiliation by Western powers as a semi-colonial state, China has yet to regain confidence; and through her own growing pains of experimentation, she has lost confidence in not coming to grips with her long continuous history. Finally, in her eagerness to learn from the West, she has not given enough emphasis to the importance of her own cultural heritage and innovativeness. All these and other historical factors have hindered China in rightfully regaining her world influence, despite her rise in economic power.