Today China’s projection of “soft power” involves a $7 billion international radio and TV broadcasting campaign. In funding, languages reached, frequencies used, and hours on the air, it already outpaces the two other major international broadcasters: Voice of America (VOA) and the BBC World Service.

"Considering not only the spreading of culture and sharing of experience on the development of culture, but also the appreciation of each other's cultural fruits, cultural exchanges between China and France weigh a lot in bilateral relations," a Chinese diplomat told Xinhua in a recent interview.

What is going on here? China, it turns out, wants to increase its soft power by having Xinhua compete with news organizations like CNN and the BBC and is hiring a large number of western journalists. In fact, the government is pouring money into this effort.

Andreas Fuchs and Nils-Hendrik Klann of Germany University of Geottingen looked at 159 countries' trade patterns with China between 1991 and 2008 to see what effect a high-level meeting with the Dalai Lama had on bilateral trade.

After the midterm elections, Barack Obama will get a chance to follow a long line of American presidents who have had setbacks at home. He will go abroad. His long-delayed Asian trip this week - India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan - is by chance perfectly timed.

On Oct. 29 and 30, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy's research team in Shanghai released the final two video conversations in the series. The first video highlights views from the Chinese pavilions, including its national and regional provinces and the second features an interview with the Secretary General of the International Exhibitions Bureau. Click here to view the videos.

How does Brand Oz look in China these days? Jennifer Mills went to the Shanghai Expo to see the results of Simon Crean's recent nation branding exercise