The Republic of China on Taiwan continues to strengthen its partnership with St. Kitts and Nevis in many areas, but a key area of focus for both countries is education, which is the basic pillar of growth and development in any society. With the introduction of a student exchange Programme between both countries, the importance of the role that education plays in development is underscored.

The United States on Friday slammed a ban on foreign radio broadcasts by the Cambodian government in the run-up to next month's elections as a "serious infringement" on press freedom. The Cambodian information ministry had published a directive banning broadcasts of foreign-produced radio programs for 31 days before the July 28 vote, State Department deputy spokesman Patrick Ventrell said.

The overall measure of Australians' "warmth" towards China is captured in the Lowy Institute's "thermometer," a gauge measuring how positively people feel towards a range of countries. Last year China was ranked eighth with a warmth of 59 degrees out of a possible 100, just under Malaysia and just above India.

Middlepowerism is a difficult concept...The term can also denote states that demonstrate strong diplomatic aptitude through activities like diplomatic activism, coalition building, niche diplomacy, and “good international citizenship.” But for policymakers and diplomatic practitioners, middlepowerism is something very different.

China has used various forms of soft power as a form of diplomatic currency in the past. There was the ping pong diplomacy of the early 1970s. There was also panda diplomacy. Now China is expanding its soft power diplomacy to luxury vehicles. According to the Wall Street Journal, last Friday, Beijing donated 20 Chinese-designed and manufactured Hongqi, or Red Flag, vehicles to the Pacific island nation of Fiji. The fleet of sedans is estimated to have cost around $2.3 million.

Since the Australian Government’s last White Paper on defense in 2009, there have been rapid changes within the Asia-Pacific region. As a consequence, the forthcoming Australian defense white paper will be perhaps the most important that has ever been prepared. With a rising assertive China, the US adopting an "Asia Pivot" doctrine, and a host of rising Asian powers, the Australian Government cannot defer the strategic complexities of the region to the ’never never’ of 2030 like the 2009 paper did.