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.

Confucius Institute: The Hard Side of China's Soft Power

As the numbers have grown, so too has the concern of Western academics who believe the project presents a serious threat to freedom of thought and speech in education.

Tags: china, confucius institute, soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, international exchange, xu lin

China Pursues Soft Power Agenda with Thailand

Representatives from the Chinese and Thai governments signed bilateral agreements worth more than 62 billion yuan. The trade and development accords are yet another instance of Beijing engaging in a soft power approach to diplomacy with its Southeast Asian neighbors.

Tags: china, thailand, soft power, global aid and development, li keqiang, prayut chan-o-cha

Four Forces Colliding in the Region

Three fundamental and one extraneous force are currently colliding in our region. Each of these forces has its own agenda and because none of them is truly dominant, the end result is a clash rather than competition.

Tags: soft power, hard power, iran, turkey, israel, arab spring

A Fruitful Year for China-Brazil Relationship

During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Brazil in July, the two leading emerging economies consolidated their booming partnership and signed more than 50 cooperation agreements in economic, cultural and political sectors.

Tags: china, brazil, brics, President Xi Jinping, culture, economic agreements, partnership, cooperation agreements, emerging economies, government pd

BBC World Service Fears Losing Information War As Russia Today Ramps Up Pressure

The BBC World Service is being financially outgunned by Russian and Chinese state-owned news channels, its former director Peter Horrocks has warned, amid high-level concerns that Britain and the US are losing a global “information war” with the Kremlin.

Tags: bbc, uk, russia today, russia, international broadcasting, information war, kremlin, china

The Electronic Equivalent of War

North Korea’s state-run news agency claims that suggestions Pyongyang was behind the cyber attack on Sony Pictures are “wild rumor.” But according to the New York Times and other media sources, U.S. intelligence officials have concluded otherwise. The attack, those officials say, “was both state-sponsored and far more destructive than any seen before on American soil.”

Tags: cyberwarfare, kim jong un, north korea, united states, deterrence, sony, 'the interview'

China’s Big Diplomacy Shift

China signals a change in priorities, raising the risk of tension with the developed world.

Tags: china, diplomacy, chinese communist party, xi jinping, Central Work Conference on Foreign Relations, the west

More or Less in Washington

The Maltese embassy in Washington participated in the Kids Euro Festival, organised by the EU delegation to the US, with a show from More or Less Theatre.

Tags: malta, united states, european union, Cultural Diplomacy, art festival

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