Chinese Buddhism and Soft Power

With the rise to power of Xi Jinping in 2013, Chinese Buddhism has become deeply incorporated into the aspirations of the Communist Party of China for the country to be recognized as a great power in the world. This chapter argues that the state has been promoting Buddhism as religion and culture in other countries as soft power and sharp power. The analysis explores the religious modalities and state strategies of promotion in terms of the projects in which promotion proceeds; the local effects of projects on images, discourses, and politics regarding the People’s Republic of China; and the contradictions of globally promoting a nationalistic Buddhism.