Japan has issued a formal complaint after South Korea invited a group of foreign journalists to a disputed island group, in the latest sign of deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two neighbours. Reporters from six US and European media groups, including the Financial Times, travelled to the Dokdo islands – known as Takeshima in Japan – on Thursday on a visit organised by the government.

In China, the Gangnam phenomenon carries a special pique. It has left people asking, Why couldn’t we come up with that?... For now, China’s Gangnam moment seems far off. “In China, culture and the arts develop under the watchful eye of the government, and anything too hip or interesting gets either shut down or bought up."

China’s Ralls Corporation has sued U.S. President Barack Obama for blocking its wind farm deal, the Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday... Ralls claims Obama exceeded his constitutional rights and acted in "an unlawful and unauthorized manner."

Their consensus is simply, we need to get to know China more. China is a complicated country, burdened by its past and not quite that comfortable in its new role as a world super power. Unless our leadership understands the nuances of our China relations a little more deeply, mixed signals between us will likely keep the relationship tense, and that cannot be good for both countries.

After waging a rather impressive charm offensive for some years -- after pursuing a subdued diplomacy in which the Iron Chancellor would've taken pride -- Beijing has wantonly squandered the reserves of goodwill it accumulated in Asian capitals.

While meeting a team of visiting Chinese journalists here, Sam Kutesa, Uganda's minister of foreign affairs hailed the China- Africa cooperation which dates back to the 1950s and 1960s as Africa struggled to free itself from colonial rule.

China and Japan should give public diplomacy a chance rather than rely only on the official channels to help resolve their conflict over the ownership of Diaoyu Islands, Chinese scholars say.

The European Union (EU) has long been one of the leading international actors in recognizing the potential of cities as agents of global governance. Fostering a variety of initiatives through the Committee of Regions, which acts as the EU’s assembly of regional and local representatives, Europe has promoted the participation of cities in regional and international governance since its early days.