China has pledged to connect Central Asia with Southeast Asia – reminiscent of the Silk Road – also connecting the Middle East and Africa with a massive infrastructure project set to surpass America’s Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe after World War ll. Our leaders at the national, state and local level need to find ways to assure China's continued rise does not come at our demise.

Soft power can reach goals through attraction and persuasion rather than threats of coercion or offers of payment. Information warfare can be used offensively to disempower rivals, and this could be considered “negative soft power.” By attacking the values of others, one can reduce their attractiveness and thus their relative soft power.

China has emerged as the key trading partner of Central Asia—an accomplishment that is greatly due to Dordoi Bazaar’s success in the region. However, Beijing still has much work to do in order to improve its public image and shorten its soft power deficit in the Central Asian region.