A curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned, and state-sponsored sources. The stories featured don't necessarily represent CPD's views nor have they been verified by CPD.

A Cultural Highway between Norway and China

In cooperation with Fredrikstad municipality in Norway, the Hong Kong based Theatre Studio and the Norwegian theatre lab Studium Actoris have initiated a three-year long cultural exchange program which is to culminate in a theatre production celebrating the 150 years jubilee of Norway and China’s most famous painters, Edward Munch and Qi Bashi.

Tags: china, Cultural Diplomacy, government pd, public diplomacy, cultural exchange, art diplomacy, norway

State Department Sees Progress Against International Internet Regulation Plans

American diplomats are making progress in heading off possible international proposals to increase Internet regulation by the United Nations, a top State Department official told a House subcommittee on Thursday. A range of American lawmakers, businesses, and nonprofit organizations fear that some countries will try to use negotiations over international telecommunications treaties in December to expand the authority of the International Telecommunication Union, the U.N. organization that has historically overseen international telecom policies.

Tags: public diplomacy, united nations, us department of state, internet freedom, internet politics

A new ‘Gate-way’ for India’s Africa diplomacy

India has found a new gateway to project its Africa diplomacy as it explores a partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which is engaged in a range of activities in the emerging continent. This possibility of collaborating in Africa emerged from talks between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Microsoft founder Bill Gates here Thursday.

Tags: government pd, public diplomacy, india, africa, water diplomacy

OPINION: The awkwardness of marketing Chinese brands globally

In the current political climate, overt Chinese-ness is simply a competitive disadvantage for Chinese brands overseas, according to Jerry Clode, associate director of cultural insight for Added Value. Perhaps Chinese brands with global aspirations can look to post-war Japan for role models.

Tags: china, soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, public diplomacy

Are Mayors the New Diplomats?

Confronted with the shortcomings of international political processes many scholars and diplomats have frequently turned to the non-governmental sphere in search of more practical action on global challenges. It is not uncommon to find today calls for global civil society engagement, public-private partnerships, and citizen diplomacy in almost all contexts of international relations.

Tags: government pd, public diplomacy, citizen diplomacy, diplomatic engagement, mayors

China’s Embrace of Cultural Diplomacy

SHANGHAI --- Zhao Qizeng, China’s leading proponent of public diplomacy, wrote, “Culture is the soul and life of a nation.” That concept is the driving force behind much of China’s exercise of soft power, and other countries that deal with this superpower need to understand the value the Chinese place on their language, traditions, and other cultural elements of their national life.

Tags: china, soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, public diplomacy

China Cultural Center in Malta Increases Activities to Mark Diplomatic Ties

As people in Santa Lucija, a village in the small island nation of Malta, look forward to its annual Chinese Film Festival this summer, the China Cultural Center in Malta has pledged to organize more cultural events this year to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Santa Lucija, the only Maltese village with a partnership with Jinchang district of Suzhou city in east China, began to offer its citizens a feast for their eyes in 2007 when it organized a Chinese film festival at the end of the summer.

Tags: china, Cultural Diplomacy, government pd, public diplomacy, film diplomacy, malta

Romania 15th in soft power classification

Romania ranks 15th in a world top on soft power, an indicator measuring the ability of a state to influence the actions of others through persuasion or attraction, rather than coercion, by means of values like culture, personalities, institutions and policies, according to a study made by the audit and consulting company Ernst&Young

Tags: soft power, film diplomacy, olympics, romania, energy, artists

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