The authors have been looking too much at what the US is espousing and not at what the US is actually doing in the Asia-Pacific. Most tensions between the US and China seem to be smoothly dispersed and resolved through very subtle diplomacy, such as the deal done about the fate of Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who took refuge in the American Embassy last year.

Not only are there a lot of similarities between Public Relations (PR) and Public Diplomacy (PD) but were it not for one major element, they might be identical. Scholars have argued that issues of power have been neglected in PR. This is true. However, that might not illustrate the complete picture as the main difference is perhaps the cohesion of PD, and the power it can achieve thanks to this.

Australia will boost diplomatic engagement with India in early 2013 with a new Australian High Commissioner to take office next month, and direct Ministerial talks on economic, regional and security issues in New Delhi and Mumbai from January 20-23. Foreign Minister Bob Carr today announced Mr Patrick Suckling as High Commissioner to India from January 2013, replacing Mr Peter Varghese.

Career diplomat Patrick Suckling has been appointed high commissioner to India, a country the Gillard government considers critical to Australia's interests. Foreign Minister Bob Carr says Mr Suckling will replace Peter Varghese, who is returning to Australia to head the department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Japanese is the most widely taught foreign language in Australia, and students choose to study it not only for future employment prospects but for the pop cultural intrigue as well.

I was heartened this week when I read former prime minister Paul Keating's comments that no country is more important to Australia than Indonesia. As an Indonesian exporter, who for a long time has seen Australia as a partner rather than a market, I have felt for the first time real optimism regarding the relationship between our two countries.