I was heartened this week when I read former prime minister Paul Keating's comments that no country is more important to Australia than Indonesia. As an Indonesian exporter, who for a long time has seen Australia as a partner rather than a market, I have felt for the first time real optimism regarding the relationship between our two countries.

WHEN I presented Sachin Tendulkar with an honorary Member of the Order of Australia earlier this month in Mumbai, I was struck by the way he spoke so eloquently and emotionally about the important engagement he had with Australia when he started his Test career.

The arts program for the Centenary of Canberra is huge, especially in terms of Australian art and artists. As it embraces a whole year in the capital, it represents more artistic activity than any single festival in Australia , and it has actively sought the participation of every state and territory in the country.

Eight Japanese lifeguards from Kanagawa Prefecture have begun a week-long exchange program that sees them training with Australian counterparts in Greenmount Beach, Coolangatta. Going on for the past 12 years, the program is a chance for the two countries to share their beach safety strategies.

Latin dancer, choreographer and teacher Becky Fleming has been encouraging the children at Garran Primary School to learn more about Cuba's musical traditions. "Their learning about the music and the rhythm and the timing and how to be little gentlemen and ladies," she said. "It is teaching them respect for each other.

It is wrong to suggest Australia has to choose between the US alliance and collaborating with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. We can do both, but the trick lies in how we manage that. Greater engagement with Southeast Asia would augment our relationship with the US and China.

In January 2015, Australia will host the Asian Cup. It is a prospect that has not only excited thousands of Australian football fans, it also offers opportunities for the commercial, cultural and diplomatic communities of Australia.

Eighteen months after Julia Gillard announced the inaugural BHP Billiton Chair of Australian Studies at Peking University, an appointment may be imminent, according to Kevin Hobgood-Brown, managing director of the Foundation for Australian Studies in China which makes the appointment.