The economic and political attractiveness of China grow together

Abstract

This paper proposes that, in the next decades, Chinese culture, values and even political system will be expanded as a result of its successful economic performance. This expansion will not only be the consequence of a deliberate plan, but mainly the effect of non-intentional dynamics linked to the appeal that those who economically succeed awake on others. In order to test this hypothesis, four interrelated points will be addressed along the paper. First, a short analysis of the projection of China in the world over the last decades will be made. Second, the sociological notion of the ¿appeal of the successful¿ will be examined. Third, the Chinese strategy of soft power to deliberately widen its hegemony will be studied, and finally, some conditions that favour the growth of Chinese appeal will be highlighted.