Five years ago, I published an article titled “The State of China’s Soft Power in 2020”. In its opening, I noted that China’s ability to attract was a subject of both frequent discussion and misunderstanding. Since then, despite ongoing challenges in geopolitics and the economy, China has become an even more prominent global presence. This raises an important question: is Chinese soft power still elusive, or is it finally taking shape? This matter is especially relevant given the growing debate about the decline of American soft power after a shift toward coercive hard and economic power – such as ‘peace through strength’ and unilateral tariffs – which reflects a broader weaponization of the world economy. This piece will adhere to the structure of my previous article, utilizing the late Joseph Nye’s triad of soft power resources – culture, political values, and foreign policies – while further developing them through a broader analysis of attractive national features supported by authoritative opinions and relevant data. Back then, quoting my concise overview, “China’s culture still ha[d] limited appeal, its values mostly fail[ed] to reflect the country’s image and reputation abroad, and its foreign policy [was] seen with skepticism at best – and as hegemonic at worst.” What has changed in these five turbulent years in which we experienced a global pandemic, the eruption of two major and still lingering conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine, and a global tariffs shakeup?

In 2017, Foreign Policy asked, “Why is China so uncool?” The answer lied in a core tenet of soft power: attraction mainly arises from a country’s civil society, not its government. Yet, across 2025, I came across pieces asking questions such as: “Is China the new Cool?”, hinting at marked perceptual changes within less than a decade. The Economist – to my surprise – went even further, when publishing a piece titled “How China became cool”, not if. Several outlets, including Foreign Policy itself and the Asia Society, further examined this topic, noting achievements like the global success of the ‘toy monster’ Labubu, the animated film Ne Zha 2, and the video game Black Myth: Wukong. The

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