morally superior foreign policies

[William F. Owen]

It's interesting that China is often lauded as the up-and-coming superpower as much for its spreading soft power as for its rising economic might. This study suggests that China may yet lag behind the US in this area as well.

I'd actually suggest that China does not use "soft power".

It uses real and actual power, and what it is doing in Africa is a very good example. They seek all out competitive advantage, purely in their own interest, and with little in the way of ideological or diplomatic constraints. They get a very good return for every $ they put into Africa, and they don't care who they deal with, or what that involves.