Cultural exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong have developed well since Hong Kong returned to the motherland in 1997, Ding Wei, vice minister of culture, said Sunday.

Reflecting the common ideals and pursuit of human societies, it is a positive endeavor to seek new models of international cooperation  and will inject positive energy into development. Thus, in line with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, in the context of current world order, OBOR initiative may also be observed as a great undertaking that may benefit people around the world.

Although China lacked the creativity to produce a soft power hit like the popular Disney movie, it seems to have the vision to shape something bigger: the “One Belt, One Road” initiative – the supreme mixture of soft and hard power, something similar to Joseph Nye’s idea of smart power. China has the power, now can ‘One Belt, One Road’ take it down the path to glory?

The international cultural exhibition fair Silk Road will open in Dunhuang (China's Gansu Province) on 20 September. This forum will bring together representatives of more the 50 countries, Communist Party Secretary of Gansu Province Wang Sanyun told reporters partaking in the Eurasian media seminar on 28 July, BelTA informs.

For years, governments and foundations have used scholarships as instruments of diplomacy. The Brits have Rhodes and Chevening, the Americans have Marshall and Fulbright, and the Australian government has created a lot of goodwill in its neighbourhood through the New Colombo Plan. 

Besides expanding its influence in Africa, China is establishing deeper economic ties with European countries as a part of its One Belt, One Road initiative. The initiative is intended to "place China firmly" into the large EU markets, linking the East and the West of the Eurasian continent through a vast network of high-speed railways and maritime routes.