In the downtown theater, the Goh Ballet Youth Academy was debuting its latest production, Lamour, a three-act ballet that the troupe will be taking to China in late August and September for a series of shows to promote friendship and cultural exchange between the two countries.

With health authorities in mainland China fighting a war on food safety violators, a food scandal across the Taiwan Strait has claimed an iconic victim: the night market. Among the many contentious markers of “true” Taiwanese-ness, a fondness for night markets is that rare characteristic that unifies nearly all the island’s residents.

The Kung Fu Panda series does not boast remarkable plot lines. In fact, to many critics, it is a plain story coming straight out of the US film assembly line. Its success sheds a light on how to commercialize cultural elements and increase so-called soft power.

China's strength lies in its deep pockets, which are said to have helped it swing deals in its favor. India's advantage lies in public goodwill and Delhi hopes that this and its soft power strategy will help it build sustainable partnerships in Africa.

He said Taiwan needs also to combine its economic power with diplomacy to show the world the country's national strength and soft power....Over the past three years, he noted, Taiwan has participated in many international humanitarian aid projects in countries struck by natural disasters.

There are 82 Confucius Institutes and 39 Confucius Classrooms in 31 countries and regions in Asia. Despite great achievements, Confucius Institutes still face serious challenges. For example, there is the question of how to help Chinese volunteer teachers better adapt to the foreign environment, especially the living environment in developing countries.

It is designed to be the creative hub that catapults local film-makers towards the heights achieved by Hollywood animation giants such as Pixar and DreamWorks. China has opened a $4.5bn yuan (£420m) facility in Tianjin, near Beijing, aimed at producing films that can compete with the best of the west.

Given its lesser standing in terms of international public opinion compared to the West, China should strive for the right to speak in public diplomacy in cyberspace, strengthen the universal participation of the public diplomacy on the Internet, formulate a public diplomacy strategy for cyberspace and proactively build up a national brand.