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.

The Japanese defence ministry reports that in the first half of this year it has had to scramble jets more than 230 times in response to Chinese incursion into its airspace. Chinese and Japanese military aircraft have been flying dangerously close over these waters in recent months, sparking fears of a major international ­crisis should they collide.

Real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi and his wife donated $10 million to Yale University on Wednesday, drawing harsh criticism from some commentators and netizens. Many have said: Why not donate to schools in China? (...) Pan's decision is a reflection of China's rising soft power thanks to the more than three decades of fast-paced economic growth.

China will dispatch an elite unit from the People's Liberation Army to help Ebola-hit Liberia, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, responding to U.N. calls for a greater global effort to fight the deadly virus in West Africa.

APEC can take global leadership with a practical, comprehensive approach—call it a “Pacific Economic Partnership” for global growth, or PEP for short. This would consist of concrete, achievable components, many already in the works. It’s the closest thing APEC has to a shovel-ready growth strategy, but it requires both U.S. and Chinese leadership.

President Xi Jinping stressed increasing China's "soft power" by promoting exchanges with other cultures, he said in a written instruction to the China International Culture Exchange Center on Wednesday.