The dilemma of China’s soft power in Europe

By borrowing Nye’s original concept of soft power, this chapter compares the Chinese and the European framing of this enterprise and identifies several fundamental discursive differences. Based on such analysis, this chapter discusses the basic variance with regard to political-moral values and the internal-to-external inflexibility that limits China’s soft power campaign in European societies. It responds to the persistent European skepticism about China despite a growing economic interdependence in between (especially with Southern and Eastern European countries) with a focus on especially the main obstacles that have altered China’s charm attractive to charm offensive to European stakeholders.