China once again reinforced its dominance in Asian sports by walking away with more than half the gold medals at the recently held Doha Asian Games. India, on the other hand, put up a dismal show winning only 10 gold medals – an embarrassing performance when compared to that of China. Worse, we lost to China in hockey and failed to win a medal in the event for the first time since the inception of Asian Games in 1982 at Delhi.

Sports may not be the right platform to compare two rising powers since it does not yield political dividends. International relations is, however, all about power and influence. Post-Cold War, the tendency to compare nations has increased through what Joseph Nye calls the 'soft power' prism. Sports constitute an important element of this stretchable concept where in a Sino-Indian comparison reveals an ever widening asymmetry. While India has struggled to reach a double digit tally of gold medals in the Asian Games, China's tally has kept rising.

In fact, Doha is just a rehearsal for the ultimate Chinese show – the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the Athens Olympics, China was second only to the US. Come Beijing and China is set to jostle with the US for the top position. If China has made its way as a 'sports superpower', it is because it made early investments in building modern sports infrastructure and grooming young and talented sports persons. Funds were never a problem in the post-reform period.

China is determined to use the Beijing Olympics to showcase not only its sporting achievements, but also its achievements all round. As the 2008 deadline approaches, Beijing is undergoing a great transformation. Once a city of bicycles, Beijing today boasts of skyscrapers and fancy cars. Until a few years ago, it was difficult to survive in Beijing if one did not know Mandarin. Today, urban China is undergoing a great English fever – the accent is American and the focus is business. By 2008, around 300 million Chinese, comprising mostly of taxi drivers, hotel staff and entrepreneurs, are expected to have a working knowledge of English.

The Chinese are also keen to teach Mandarin to the rest of the world. Over a hundred Confucius centres are being opened all over the world, including one at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. With Beijing providing the financial support and manpower, these centres will teach simplified Mandarin and propagate Chinese culture. China has apparently taken a cue from the American Center, the British Council and the Alliance Fran?aise serving as cultural ambassadors for their respective countries in many global cities. China has reformed the two decade-old Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK-Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) focussing more on comprehensive language ability and communication skills. The new HSK will be launched in 2007. By 2010, it is estimated that about 100 million foreigners would learn Chinese. China has also become the new destination for studies in science, medicine and engineering and at competitive rates.

Until recently, Indians mentioned China only when they purchased some manufactured item in the market. But the basket is expanding. Indian television channels have of late, been showing advertisements of 'Mainland China,' offering genuine Chinese cuisine. While this chain of restaurants is under Indian ownership, the catchy advertisement only adds to the already prevailing popularity of Chinese food in India. As China opens up, Indians will get to learn more about China.

China's sustained image building exercises have paid off. India is just one of the destinations to feel the heat of Chinese soft power. The spread is global, reaching as far as Latin America and Africa. When the 'China threat theory' emerged in the late nineties, China responded by enunciating the 'peaceful rise' theory, later modified to 'peaceful development'. In fact, China has been able to create a new image for itself as a responsible power.

In many aspects of soft power, India lags way behind China. Moreover, China is also catching up in India's other strongholds – a sizable English speaking population, film production and software. India's educational infrastructure has not attracted foreign students. While the IITs and the IIMs are well established, we are yet to have a university matching the reputation of Beijing's Tsinghua University. China's stakes and image among the Latin American and African countries are better placed than India's.

As an important pillar shaping Asian security, India cannot afford to remain behind China in the race for soft power. The fiasco at Doha offers an opportunity for self introspection. In addition to identifying loopholes such as in sports, India should consolidate in areas where it enjoys an edge over China. With rich foreign exchange reserves and a veteran at the head of the MEA, all that is required is some investment in soft power instruments. There is a lesson to be learnt from the Chinese experience.

The views expressed herein are the personal views of the author.