Several schools aiming to foster cultural understanding between U.S. and China have turned to virtual exchange programs between American and Chinese schools. Such schools received financial assistance from Hanban, a Chinese institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education, as well as the Confucius Institute at Michigan State University.

China's top economic planning body set new targets on Monday in its effort turn the city of Shanghai into a global financial hub, including a more than doubling of trading volume in financial markets and a greater openness to derivatives such as foreign-exchange products.

After experiencing democracy and freedom of expression, Taiwanese are unlikely to settle for anything less than the open society that they have today. Serious moves toward unification will depend on the effectiveness of China’s soft-power approach, which cannot be limited only to the attractiveness of its economy if it is actually to succeed.

It is soft power that will to a large extent make or unmake superpowers of the future. China and India are the obvious candidates to be considered as the future superpowers. India will have to pit itself against the might of the Chinese economic machine.

The dominance of western brands in China has long been a sore spot for the country's leaders. You can't walk through a Chinese commercial district without bumping into an Apple or Prada store occupying the city's finest prime real estate.

As the Chinese lunar calendar ushered in the Year of the Dragon on Monday, Chinese artists and cultural delegations are staging various performances around the world. The year of the Dragon, marked by this ambitious and magical Asian icon, is to witness dramatic growth of Chinese culture on the international stage.

The Chinese government, determined to build the country’s soft power by projecting a better image abroad through culture and to maintain control at home through censorship, is strongly supporting the local industry and restricting foreign rivals.