Dr.Lionel Vairon Elaborates China's Smart Power in 21st Century
On the afternoon of May 8, 2013, Dr. Lionel Vairon, a French sinologist, gave a lecture on China’s soft power in 21
st century versus western comprehensive strengths of several centuries.
This is also the first lecture of “East Asian Cultural Traditions from
Cross-Cultural Perspective”, a program jointly launched by National
Research Center of Overseas Sinology and Information Center for
Worldwide Asia Research at Beijing Foreign Studies University.
Dr. Vairon is an expert studying China, used to serve as a senior
diplomat of Southeast Asia and Middle East affairs, taught at National
Institute of Languages and Oriental Civilizations, HEC Paris, Institute
of Advanced Studies of National Defense, and Saint-Cyr Military Academy,
chaired seminars on China at Jonit Defense College (Collège Interarmées
de Défense). As the author of
China Threat? published in 2009, his opinion shocked the political communities in Europe and the US.
Speaking in fluent Chinese, Dr. Vairon explained in details from the
perspective of an overseas scholar studying China the concept of soft
power, or smart power, the source and features of western soft power,
and how China should do to improve its soft power in the 21
st century.
