While the absence of the Chinese soccer team in the 2010 South Africa World Cup disappoints local fans, made-in- China products are ubiquitous at the quadrennial gala, which also sees its first Chinese sponsor this year.

The Shanghai World Expo is "a perfect opportunity to build on and further strengthen the good relations" between the European Union and China, an EU official said Thursday. "The European Union is China's main economic partner and we have built a strategic partnership with the Chinese government over the years," Viviane Reding, vice president of the EU Commission, told Xinhua in an interview.

As the world's largest democracy, with a vibrant press and thriving entertainment industry, India has huge soft power advantages over China and its state-controlled media. The implication is India can take advantage of that goodwill as Asia's two giants battle for influence in the region and around the world.

Ögumundur Jónasson, a member of Althingi for the Left Green and former Minister of Health, wants the Icelandi authorities to send the government of China a clear message that closer cooperation between the two countries does not mean that Iceland will ignore human rights violations in China.

As a museum curator who has spent most of the last decade dabbling in the collection and display of objects in order to frame rich historical narratives for the civic and educative enrichment of culturally diverse audiences, I can conscientiously admit that there are things an exhibition is capable of doing and things an exhibition cannot accomplish. In fact, it is folly to say one knows exactly just what impact an exhibition with any given theme may have on any audience whatsoever.

A hundred member Indian youth delegation led by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports M S Gill will visit China as part of a bilateral initiative to further the ties between youths.

But senior U.S. officials were reportedly told by Chinese counterparts in preparatory talks for the ministerial-level dialogue that Beijing would not tolerate any interference in the South China Sea, which was now part of China's core national sovereignty interests...

The curious reality is that the 15-nation [Security] council is frequently unwilling to formally acknowledge that it is meeting to discuss the many security crises that land on its door. The problem is that once an issue is officially "placed on the agenda" of the Security Council, it's hard to get it off, granting the U.N. Security Council an open-ended opportunity to play a role in the affairs of a politically sensitive or unstable region.