According to the Overseas Chinese Cultural Centers Development Plan, issued by the Ministry of Culture, China will form a relatively complete global network of cultural centers by 2020 to further promote Chinese culture and enhance the role of overseas cultural promotion.

Given the United States’ weak economic position, the Obama administration’s ability to compete with China’s ‘soft power’ has gradually diminished. All this has meant that not only is the United States having problems ‘charming’ states such as Cambodia and Laos, but it’s also facing difficulties in retaining the loyalty of long-time allies such as Thailand and the Philippines.

“Chinglish” is more closely tied to topics of globalization and the intersection of U.S. and Chinese business and culture, than to more traditional notions of Asian-American identity. But the play provokes questions about bilingualism and relationships within communities and cultures – subjects with which Asian-Americans can easily identify.

South Africa made the choice...in not granting a visa to the Dalai Lama, a decision that risked angering China...This was a question of how the world would look at us and our morality, and not all about putting at risk much-needed direct investment in such economically turbulent times.

China’s rise to become the second largest economy in the world has inevitably seen it invest projects at home and abroad that have the potential to challenge other states. One recent such development is the country’s beefing up of its communications satellites capabilities.

It is unclear what might have precipitated this precipitate shift in Chinese public diplomacy. Nothing seems to have transpired in the South China Sea, especially regarding Vietnam or the Philippines, to elicit such a series of over-wrought Chinese reactions. Just a few possible explanations include:

While China, with its unquenchable thirst for raw materials, has targeted nations across Africa, nowhere has it been more determined to pursue its interests than in Zambia. Sata says he's determined to stop China doing as it pleases in one of Africa's most resource-rich nations.

Chinese authorities have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to rein in the hugely popular microblogging sites that have become an alternative source of real-time news for millions while challenging the Communist Party’s traditional grip on information.