The Economist reported in a headline on December 16, 2017 that its unhealthy intentions have set off a crooked trend of public opinion, and the "popularity" of "sharp power" in the international public opinion market stems from a report by the National Endowment for Democracy on December 5, 2017. Since then, the British magazine "The Economist" has put the term "sharp power" on the cover, and the Western media have hyped it up.
In order to "become popular" with "sharp power," the US National Endowment for Democracy, the leader of the report, has tried its best to build momentum for this "new word" and provide a new "theoretical basis" for a new round of "China threat theory." It has even carried out academic warm-ups, published special articles, and held international forums to put on an academic cloak for it.