There has been plenty of bad news concerning the unimaginative U.S. pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai. But let me for the moment, share a little good news.

Indeed, like many who have visited the pavilion, I couldn’t find any “wow” moments. Still, there are noteworthy highlights, especially when viewed from the vantage point of a Chinese visitor.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao are mulling the launch of a joint Japan-China toon festival as well as a joint pic and TV drama week.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao carried on efforts to boost the friendship between the people of China and Japan by exercising with Tokyo locals in a park on Monday morning. "The friendship between China and Japan had its base at the non-governmental or grassroots level," the Chinese premier said on the three-day official visit to Tokyo, which ran from Sunday to Tuesday.

More and more Australians view China's economic growth positively, but think that China will become a military threat to Australia within 20 years, a survey showed Monday.

In recent weeks I've written extensively about the nearly $100-million debacle that the US Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo has become. So much false propaganda has been flooding cyberspace, most of it produced by an enormous PR effort...

China has tried hard to play a constructive role in the Korean Peninsula. But it's also true that China has not yet succeeded in overcoming several constraints which prevent the country from playing a bigger role on North Korean issues.

Putting aside their diplomatic rivalry, Japan and China agreed on Monday to hold joint animation and TV drama festivals to promote grassroots cultural exchange... As a first step, each country will hold a festival or a special week next year to introduce the other's screen offerings, such as animation and TV drama series, the official said.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov met in Ashgabat Wednesday with visiting Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie on bilateral ties and cooperation in various fields. Berdymukhamedov spoke highly of his country's relations with China, which he described as a sincere friend and trustworthy partner.