Soft Power and Great-Power Competition: Shifting Sands in the Balance of Power Between the United States and China

This article interrogates the role of soft power in the evolving balance between the United States and China, arguing that attraction, credibility and narrative dominance shape material outcomes by enabling coalitions, setting standards and legitimising security choices. The abstract surveys instruments—education, media, technology ecosystems, cultural industries, development cooperation—and explains how they translate into influence across the Indo-Pacific and Global South. It contends that the US retains significant advantages in higher education, research, cultural exports and alliance networks, while China has leveraged infrastructure finance, manufacturing integration and state-led media to expand reach. Yet both face constraints: US polarisation and perceived inconsistency; China’s governance model and trust deficits. For smaller states such as Bangladesh, the competition creates both opportunity and exposure. The article proposes a hedging strategy: diversify partnerships, align with universal public goods (health security, climate finance, digital connectivity), and protect policy autonomy through transparent standards. It concludes that soft power is not a beauty contest but a capacity to convene, persuade and co-produce solutions—an arena where middle and smaller powers can exercise agency.