China’s soft-diplomacy push hit a speed bump this week when the University of Chicago decided to pull the plug on renewing a controversial Beijing-funded Confucius Institute.The decision may prompt other universities to rethink their relationships with Confucius institutes – attractive because they offer free Chinese-language classes and cultural programs to cash-strapped colleges in the United States, albeit with limitations on what they can teach.

If there was something threatening about the incursion of Western cultural and political influence ten years ago, the China of today seems a bit more confident about its standing in the world. Not that this newfound swagger has supplanted the paranoic tendencies inherent to authoritarian rule...

For the first time in years, Japan and China held high-level talks on maritime issues aimed at easing tensions over disputes in the East China Sea, a move which analyst James Brown views as a significant positive step.Yi Xianliang, deputy director-general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs met with his Japanese counterpart Makita Shimokawa, in the eastern Chinese coastal city of Qingdao on September 24-25, according to China's state-run news agency Xinhua. The meeting marked the first high-level bilateral talks on maritime affairs since May 2012.

BEIJING, Sept. 27 Xinhua comprehensive report , after a lapse of 15 years , DPRK Foreign Minister Lee Yong -soo attended the United Nations General Assembly , or the sound will be on North Korean human rights issues . Prior to this , the DPRK Foreign Ministry officials through the ” sports diplomacy” , cultural exchanges , ” political party diplomacy” , expect for North Korea to open a window onto the international stage . North Korea launched concentrated diplomatic offensive , how this session will sound, also caused apprehension of South Korea on the sidelines.

Among China’s relations with Asian neighbors, its ties with the countries in South Asia are generally considered to be the weakest. Now, with Sino-Japan tensions over the East China Sea and conflict with many Southeast Asian countries over the South China Sea, the role of South Asian countries has become more prominent.

It is time for China to explore the "recipe" for British cultural soft power, which generates many economic benefits. Cultural charm makes the United Kingdom an attractive option for foreign tourists, students and investors, and it oils the wheels of trade and business. A recent example involved wealthy Chinese businessmen who splashed out as much as 100,000 pounds ($163,160) on a hunting trip in Scotland. 

The treaty aims to usher in a new chapter of cultural diplomacy between the two countries. While the prospect of a Telugu film being co-produced through this treaty seems a distant possibility, mana filmmakers are waking up to the prospect of shooting films in China.

China and Southeast Asia are more intertwined than ever. Trade between these two regions is booming, and Chinese investors are pouring into Southeast Asia. China is fully involved in most regional security meetings organised by Asean. This era of Sino-Southeast Asian relations should therefore be a golden age bringing mutual peace and prosperity for all concerned.