TV audiences in New Zealand will for the first time be able to see Chinese TV dramas and films dubbed in English on a local channel. It's being made possible by an agreement signed on Friday, aimed at bringing CRI's popular China Theatre program to a Kiwi audience. [...] This will be the first time English-dubbed Chinese TV dramas will have been shown in Oceania.

Every week, native English and Chinese speakers gather at Kaprielian Hall to practice their language skills with each other. This program, known as the Chinese English Language Exchange allows students not just to improve their speech but to also get a feel for the American and Chinese cultures and customs.

Our interest in hosting international visitors comes from our own experiences abroad. My husband, daughter and I returned to the U.S. in 2012 following my two decades as an Associated Press correspondent on three continents. People welcomed us in their hometowns around the world. Even now when we vacation, we meet strangers who offer menu recommendations in Brazil or Slovenia, or who help us navigate subways in Moscow or Tokyo. 

British producers association Pact UK will host its first UK-China cultural exchange. The Feb. 13 meeting will see 21 senior programming executives from major Chinese broadcasters in London meeting with over 70 production companies and broadcasters. Following the launch day, Chinese executives will spend the rest of their week in placements with 23 indies selected to take part in the exchange. 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have sent their congratulations to the China-Australia Year of Tourism 2017, which was officially launched in Sydney on Sunday. In his congratulatory message, Li said people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the Chinese and Australian people is one of the important pillars supporting the development of bilateral relations.

The story of China is well-known. China has achieved a remarkable economic growth lifting its country out of poverty. It presents itself as an economic model to the Global South, an alternative to one with liberal democratic political infrastructure. However, its rise on the world stage has not been supported by a commensurate positive national image.

While the world of business is increasingly connected and integrated on the global scale, the nationality of a brand at times attains growing political significance in today’s marketplace. Some argue that with globalization a brand’s nationality—its perceived national association—has become so tenuous that contemporary consumers may not care where a brand is from or even know the country-of-origin information of the brands they purchase.