Last Saturday night, in a gala featuring 62 bands and singers, the Mandarin pop extravaganza "Chinese Music Chart Awards," often dubbed China's Grammys, took place - in slightly toned down form? in Taiwan's packed 15,000-seat Taipei Arena...The awards, announced unilaterally by China, were opposed by Taiwan's anti-unification opposition. They appear to be the latest in an unflagging string of stratagems by Beijing to waft soft-power blandishments across the 160-km Taiwan Strait.

China's leaders have tried honoring Ai Weiwei and bribing him with the offer of high positions. They have tried jailing him, fining him and clubbing him. In desperation, they have even begged him to behave — and nothing works... “China still needs help from the U.S.,” he said. “To insist on certain values, that is the role of the U.S. That is the most important product of American culture. When Hillary Clinton talks about Internet freedom, I think that's really beautiful.”

Chinese netizens gave a mixed reaction to an article carried by U.S.-based Washington Times that lauded the impact of Taiwan's soft power on China. The article , 'Only Taiwan' holds any reins on China, cited Steven S. F. Chen, former Taiwan representative to the United States and now an adviser to President Ma Ying-jeou, as saying that Taiwan is "the only force on Earth that may have an impact on the future political development of China."

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has appointed its first secretary-general from Vietnam, a one-party communist state and one of four ASEAN members in conflict with China over territory in the South China Sea. ASEAN has struggled over the past year to form a consensus on the issue and having a leader from Vietnam will keep the spotlight on the dispute.

Participation in multilateral affairs has become a notable feature of China's diplomacy in the past year as the nation, along with other emerging economies, increasingly works toward justice and equity in international order.

Science and technology diplomacy between China and South-East Asian (SEA) countries is expected to benefit both sides, according to a forthcoming OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) report. Rising research and development (R&D) investment on both sides — as well as a common drive towards economic growth and industrialisation — increases the opportunities for improving collaboration, especially on science, innovation and education, the report says.

Music is a universal language and it is one of the ways to learn about another culture. To spread the teaching of Chinese music to the world, the Confucius Institute has set up the first Music Confucius Institute in Copenhagen.

From Dec 2 to 4, Wudang Mountain Tourism Area held a Wudang photography and calligraphy exhibition in Erfurt, Germany. The exhibition served as a prelude to the Sino-German culture exchange in Hubei province. This year is the 40th anniversary of China-German diplomatic ties. Hubei province organized a delegation to go to Germany and preside over the Hubei Culture Exhibition Week.