There is no question that China is the linchpin in BRICS. Now the founding of the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) suggest that BRICS can be looked to for bold moves in the future, with China leading the charge. All sides agree that this is a mutual partnership with noble goals of reciprocal investment and development, but it’s hard to ignore China’s considerable muscle.

It is no secret that the world’s two largest economies–the U.S. and China–don’t always see eye to eye in terms of values, politics, economics, and leadership. However, despite on-and-off competition and cooperation between their governments, the lives of American and Chinese citizens are becoming increasingly intertwined. 

A Ugandan official on Thursday said that cultural exchanges and cooperation with China has deepened the people to people relations of the two countries.  Rose Namayanja, minister of information and national guidance told reporters here that over the years there have been increased cultural exchanges as Ugandan artists go to China and vice versa.

China’s main goals in South America are economic, but it also hopes to win public and political support.  Thus, an economic push by China is also a soft power push, as Beijing uses its funding (both public and private) to win goodwill in developing countries.

A new international development bank and multi-billion emergency lending pool will be setup by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The move comes at a summit meeting of BRICS leaders in Brazil.

Pew Global Research released the results of its “Balance of Power” survey, and it contains a lot of interesting data about what the world thinks about China. On the whole, impressions of China are positive.

The growing bloodshed in Iraq and Syria is being watched as keenly in China as anywhere else in the world. Indeed, the greater Middle East is becoming an ever greater focus of Chinese foreign policy.