Now that the once strait-laced communist country has adopted a capitalist economy, it has become a major world business player. China’s rise into a world power came at a time when the US was beginning to wear crutches...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will attend Iranian National Pavilion Day at the Shanghai World Expo on June 11, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang Tuesday at a regular news briefing.

For some, the rapid growth of China’s presence in Africa has been disquieting. Beijing is not always helpful where it has political influence. It occasionally colludes with corrupt and abusive governments, and its thirst for natural resources has raised the specter of a second “scramble for Africa.”

The sight of youngsters speaking Chinese in the Mexican heartland is unusual, to say the least. Parents told that pupils as young as 9 would be taught Mandarin had been skeptical. Wouldn't French or Italian (Romance languages closer to Spanish) make more sense? some wondered. Savvy Mexican politicians have other ideas.

China’s new public diplomacy is ramping up to complement its traditional diplomacy. Chinese leaders are traversing the globe and receiving foreign leaders at home, but less noticed has been the blitz of China’s new soft-power efforts.

Cities should facilitate interaction and provide spaces so people can bond, says Chui Huili, director of the Taiwan Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo.

Kenya and China on Thursday pledged to strengthen bilateral cooperation during a meeting between senior officials of the two countries...[Wang Gang, vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee] said the Sino-Kenyan ties have witnessed great development of friendship and successful cooperation in such fields as politics, infrastructure and trade, as well as mutual support in international affairs.

But it was her second stop at Luoyang, Henan Province, that was the highlight of this visit. There she inaugurated the new $4 million Buddhist complex adjoining the historic White Horse Temple, built in the Indian style.