From jazz to K-game
Soft power simulation
China’s Pop Culture
Belt and Road & Fiji
K‑Games and E‑Sports
100

This term, coined by Joseph Nye, means getting others to want the outcomes you want through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or payment. 

What is soft power?

100

In the CFR soft power simulation, this U.S. body meets to advise the president on whether and how to invest more in soft power tools. 

What is the National Security Council?

100

This social media platform with hundreds of millions of global users is a major vehicle for China’s cultural influence among Gen Z. 

What is TikTok?

100

This global infrastructure initiative branded by Beijing links overseas construction, finance, and migration, and shapes Chinese entrepreneurs’ lives in Fiji. 

What is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)?

100

This Asian country is described as a world leader in online PC games and e‑sports, driving what some call the “K‑Game Wave.”

What is South Korea?

200

According to Nye, these three main resources underlie a country’s soft power: its culture, its political values, and its ______ policies when they are seen as legitimate.

What are foreign policies?

200

One option in the simulation is to increase funding for this type of power, emphasizing military and economic tools instead of cultural attraction. 

What is hard power

200

This animated blockbuster, promoted as a “soft power moment,” showcases Chinese folklore and was celebrated as proof that Chinese stories can rival Marvel superheroes. 

What is Ne Zha 2?

200

Chinese companies in Fiji have used BRI funding to build these kinds of projects, including roads, bridges, and public buildings. 

What is infrastructure?

200

These dedicated gaming venues, where people play for hours on high‑speed internet, helped normalize gaming as mainstream culture in Korea. 

What are PC rooms?

300

This kind of power relies on military force or economic pressure, making it the opposite of soft power in international relations. 

What is hard power

300

 The simulation highlights that cutting funding for international broadcasting and educational exchanges risks forcing the U.S. to rely more on this costly type of policy tool. 

What are coercive tools (such as sanctions)?

300

The article describes how a visit by this American YouTuber and streamer to China sparked comments that China is “underrated,” boosting its image among young Western audiences. 

Who is IShowSpeed?

300

Some Fiji‑based Chinese entrepreneurs describe themselves informally as this kind of emissary, building local ties by employing Fijians and supporting community projects. 

What are soft power emissaries?

300

This battle‑royale game, developed with the North American market in mind, sold tens of millions of copies within six months and boosted Korean gaming’s global profile. 

What is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)?

400

This term describes a strategy that combines coercive tools with attraction and persuasion, blending hard and soft power in foreign policy. 

What is smart power?

400

In the scenario, rising influence from the fictional state of Nemessia challenges this real country’s traditional soft power leadership. 

What is the United States?

400

Alongside films and apps, this type of digital entertainment, often co‑developed or popular in China, is cited as another arena where Beijing builds soft power. 

What are video games?

400

Xi Jinping’s slogan that frames national aspirations and is linked to BRI migration and opportunity for overseas Chinese is often called this “dream.”

What is the China Dream?

400

This massively popular online shooter reached more than 3 million simultaneous users in China, highlighting Korea’s export success in gaming. 

What is CrossFire?

500

In Nye’s view, this quality has become the “scarcest resource” in the information age and is essential for effective public diplomacy and soft power.

What is credibility?

500

The simulation stresses that improving this overall perception abroad is crucial for cooperation and makes it easier to advance U.S. interests without force. 

What is the U.S. global image (or reputation)?

500

Despite China’s cultural successes, the article notes that this type of political system limits the appeal of its overall model in many democracies. 

What is an authoritarian system?

500

The article notes that beyond big firms, this Fiji‑Chinese community organization has been especially effective in influencing local officials and Chinese diplomats.

What is the Chinese Association of Fiji?

500

Korea’s dominance in international competitions for games like StarCraft helped spur the creation of this Olympics‑style global e‑sports event organized by Samsung and Korean ministries.

What are the World Cyber Games?