On June 9, at Rike Park, diplomats celebrated the 25th anniversary of Georgian-Chinese bilateral relations. It was organized by international media holding GBTIMES Georgia and the Chinese Embassy in Georgia, and supported by Tbilisi City Hall. All day long visitors at Rike Park had the opportunity to see and purchase Chines goods, as well as attend master-classes of traditional martial arts, sample Chinese dishes, see Chinese costumes, as well as shows, exhibitions and concerts.

Despite public diplomacy efforts by Pacific Alliance and ASEAN members alike emphasizing the desirability of upscaling their relations, actual progress will face challenges on several fronts. [...] Nonetheless, the current context offers the Pacific Alliance and ASEAN an outstanding opportunity to build up their partnership.

UAE Minister of Economy Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri recently received Francisca Elizabeth Mendez Escobar, Mexico's new Ambassador to the UAE, with whom he discussed ways to enhance cooperation in a number of priority areas for both countries. The meeting held at the ministry's Dubai headquarters touched on the results of the recent visit of a UAE delegation to Mexico headed by the minister, which identified various priority sectors of mutual interest for cooperation between the two countries.

The Kingdom has much to offer Canadian companies, with major social infrastructure projects underway, a vibrant business community, and an increasing openness to foreign direct investment. [...] Based on experience, commercial diplomacy is the key to restore a more balanced relationship with Riyadh, and this, in turn, will better benefit Canadian businesses.

"Africa will become Indonesias priority in 2017. We will enhance our relations with Africa," Director of African Affairs of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry Daniel Tumpal Simanjuntak stated recently. [...] The two ministers co-chaired a meeting of Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation focusing on intensifying economic cooperation between both nations.

Farmers have called on the government to reopen the Irish embassy in Iran, which was closed in 2011. Patrick Kent, the President of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA), said there would be “huge opportunities for exports of beef and sheep meat to Iran” if full diplomatic relations were to resume between the two countries.

[S]everal factors have contributed to China’s presence in Latin America. First, even though Latin America is not as strategically important to China as East Asia and South Asia, its outreach has resulted in increased social and economic cooperation. In the words of Former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping; “lie low and bide your time.” Second, the balance of power has changed in the region, where U.S. influence is dwindling and China has proven to be a reliable economic partner for developing countries. [...] Third, China has commercial and geopolitical interests in Latin America.

They have a shared history, and now officials want to unite India and the Arab world as two major trading blocs. The Indus and Ganges rivers on the one hand and Tigris and Euphrates and Nile rivers on the other were home to some of the world’s first civilisations. And that, officials believe, matters for the future.