The impact of soft power on economic relations between China and Russia

for quite a long time now, the PRC has been implementing the ideology of “soft power” in its foreign policy, which provides for indirect, mediated influence on the decisions made by its partners in the world arena. This concept is characterized by the fact that the main instruments of influence are implemented within the framework of such seemingly distant from economics and foreign trade or politics spheres as culture, art, education, sports. However, in reality it turns out that the instruments of “soft power” are present even in the area of building relations in the economic sphere, although they are not so clearly manifested in it. Thus, this article examines the mechanism of China’s application of the instruments of the concept of “soft power” in the process of forming economic relations with the Russian Federation, both in the historical aspect and in the current situation of instability of the Russian economy. The article also confirms the thesis that not only cultural aspects of foreign policy formation, but also economic instruments, in particular, the mechanism of investing funds in projects of foreign (in this case, Russian) partners, can act as instruments of “soft power”.

international economic cooperation, soft power policy, foreign direct investment, investment projects, investment cooperation