Awad Ahmed Al-Jaz, Sudanese official in charge of Sino-Sudanese relations' file, and Li Lianhe, Chinese Ambassador to Sudan, inaugurated an exhibition about Chinese culture and the Sino-Sudanese ties.

The Polyglot Symposium underway in Montreal this weekend is the first for Georges Awaad. The 17 year-old just graduated high school and with a facility in 16 languages, he is looking forward to a career in diplomacy.

Despite all the disagreements between the two countries, his government was looking for ways to promote bilateral people-to-people exchanges. That was why he wanted to talk to us so as to better grasp the subtle differences between Hong Kong and mainland China in terms of public sentiment towards his country.

Taiwan's youth ambassadors will visit the nation's diplomatic allies and friendly countries for a stay of up to three weeks starting next month to showcase Taiwan's soft power internationally, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official announced on Thursday. [...] "The MOFA-initiated annual youth ambassador program aims at expanding their responsibility and also promoting the relationships between Taiwan and other countries," Shen said.

Last week, days after The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration awarded the Philippines a victory in its case against China in the dispute over rights to the South China Sea, Beijing began a massive public relations campaign to press its position. Part of China’s campaign includes shoring up international support to denounce the ruling and approaching other nations to voice their backing for Beijing.

Pak-China cultural streets should be established in different cities of Pakistan to promote cultural harmony between the two friendly countries”. The idea was floated by President Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shah Faisal Afridi. He said that the lack of cultural contacts between the two countries was one of the key challenges for a durable economic relationship between Pakistan and China.

In what seems likely to be a concerted and protracted charm offensive, China has been inviting hundreds of Myanmar opinion-formers to “improve understanding” on their part of China’s intentions. China is telling Myanmar that it knows Myanmar has changed, and that China’s attitude has changed too.

The ruling by the tribunal in the Philippines vs. Chinaarbitration case is no doubt a major setback to Chinese diplomacy. No matter how people evaluate the quality and impartiality of the ruling, [...] it will not only damage China’s image and soft power, but will greatly inhibit China’s claims to territory and maritime rights in the South China Sea, and the consequences will be far reaching.