{"id":38185,"date":"2026-08-27T07:36:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T04:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/chinas-economic-soft-power-in-the-age-of-connectivity\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T07:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T04:06:16","slug":"chinas-economic-soft-power-in-the-age-of-connectivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/chinas-economic-soft-power-in-the-age-of-connectivity\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s economic soft power in the age of connectivity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6014018.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"item-text\">\n<p class=\"summary\">Over the past two decades, China has evolved from an economy largely driven by mass production and industrial exports into a more complex actor in the global economy. It is no longer defined solely by low prices and high export volumes; rather, it exerts influence on international economic dynamics through a combination of industrial capacity, deeply integrated supply chains, emerging technologies, and an extensive network of overseas investment.<\/p>\n<p>According to World Trade Organization data, China remains among the world\u2019s largest merchandise exporters, with the value of its goods exports reaching approximately $3.77 trillion in 2025. This figure suggests that China\u2019s weight in global trade has not only been maintained but has deepened in several sectors.<\/p>\n<p>Yet China\u2019s commercial power cannot be reduced merely to export figures. Beijing\u2019s principal advantage lies in its integration across the value chain. China is not simply an exporter of finished products; it also plays a decisive role in the supply of raw materials, intermediate components, assembly, logistics, and even industrial standard-setting. This characteristic has left many global industries\u2014from electronics and machinery to renewable-energy technologies\u2014still dependent on China\u2019s production networks. At a time when the world faces geopolitical shocks, tariffs, and \u201cde-risking\u201d policies, China has sought to enhance its trade resilience by diversifying its markets and strengthening domestic demand.<\/p>\n<p>In the sphere of technology and emerging industries, China is no longer merely an exporter of garments and consumer goods. It is consolidating its position in batteries, electric vehicles, solar panels, telecommunications equipment, and industrial artificial intelligence. The International Energy Agency indicates that China stands at the center of growing demand for and production of electric-vehicle batteries, making this industry one of the country\u2019s new instruments of economic influence. This trend has created competitive advantages and new avenues of influence for Chinese companies, particularly in the markets of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, China\u2019s outward investment has also become an important tool for expanding its economic reach. In recent years, Chinese companies have moved beyond an exclusive focus on exporting goods and toward establishing factories, forming industrial partnerships, acquiring assets, and developing distribution networks abroad. This shift brings China\u2019s image closer to that of a \u201cglobal manufacturer and investor\u201d rather than merely a major trader. At the same time, this trajectory is accompanied by challenges, including security sensitivities, technological restrictions, and intense competition in advanced markets.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, China\u2019s commercial power appears set to remain highly influential, though not in a simple or linear manner. The country\u2019s path is shifting from the accumulation of volume toward improving quality, controlling supply chains, and gaining prominence in strategic industries. If China can strike a balance between export growth, technological innovation, and the management of trade tensions, it will remain one of the principal pillars of the global economy\u2014a pillar that exports not only goods, but also a new model of economic power.<\/p>\n<p> <em>Mahdi Zolfaghari\u00a0is\u00a0\u00a0PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies, Allameh Tabataba\u2019i University<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tehrantimes.com\/news\/529481\/China-s-economic-soft-power-in-the-age-of-connectivity\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the past two decades, China has evolved from an economy largely driven by mass production and industrial exports into a more complex actor in the global economy. It is no longer defined solely by low prices and high export volumes; rather, it exerts influence on international economic dynamics through a combination of industrial capacity, &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[494,10240,28,10239],"class_list":["post-38185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-china","tag-chinas-commercial-power","tag-international","tag-trade-organization-data"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38185\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hamsonews.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}