The debate about whether Australia should join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has gone beyond the realm of economic development and investment to hit at the core of Australia's apparent security dilemma.

As China grapples with the question of how it can strengthen the rule of law, it might be interesting to consider the rule of law's soft power dividends.  Rule of law refers to a condition where law prevails in the governance of a country and where no one is above the law.

For years, mainland China has thrown the big-budget movies of its most-heralded directors into the Oscars' foreign-language film race. (...) This season, China is trying something different — very different. It has selected a film directed by a Frenchman as its foreign-language candidate. 

U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping are preparing for their most important series of meetings since the Sunnylands summit in June 2013 in California. (...) Since many of the differences will not disappear any time soon, China and the United States should focus more on expanding cooperation; when cooperation expands, it helps the two to manage and control their differences. 

Lao Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Savankhone Razmountry, for his part, said the establishment of Chinese culture center is of great significance which will promote the friendly exchanges between the two nations.

In calling for a new type of Chinese think tank, President Xi Jinping wants institutions that can compete with American ones in spreading soft power abroad and help refine policies at home, analysts say.

The debate about whether Australia should join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has gone beyond the realm of economic development and investment to hit at the core of Australia's apparent security dilemma.