Women’s empowerment may not replace climate change as the next top priority on the global agenda. But behind the emergence of politicized gender issues, reshuffled coalitions of political and economic interests among major powers are underway. China will undoubtedly be an active leader for designing international governance focused on women’s empowerment.

In 2009, the author and food historian Andrew Coe published the book Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States. From the first Americans to travel to China in 1784 through widespread anti-Chinese sentiment in the 19th century, Coe traced how it took the United States quite some time to develop a taste for Chinese cuisine.

China has a new ally in its campaign to turn itself into a global cultural superpower: Matt Damon. And, behind him, a good chunk of Hollywood as well. Chinese leaders have long sought international cultural influence, aka "soft power," commensurate with the nation's economic might. 

Female panda Er Shun and her mate, Da Mao got a celebrity greeting from politicians and media at the Toronto airport upon their arrival in Canada. [...] Pandas, an endangered species native to China, are carefully meted out by Beijing to reward its foreign allies, and their arrival was hailed at the time as a sign of thawing relations between Beijing and Ottawa.

The nation and the world are mourning the loss of former First Lady Nancy Reagan, who died Sunday in California at the age of 94. She will be remembered most as the backstage adviser and fierce protector of Ronald Reagan. [...] As first lady, she made an impact on the public wherever she went.

The wave of huge spending is China's latest step in its bid to become a global soccer power. With the backing of President Xi Jinping, an avowed soccer fan, and no shortage of investment money, the country has the political will and naked ambition to propel soccer into a starring role on the world stage.

In the India-Pakistan context, thus, history is prone to repeating itself. The spectacle of terror never fades and Pakistan-based and nurtured terror groups chaperone Pakistan’s diplomacy with a malevolent eye. [...] Sustainable diplomacy by India must be assisted by continued and effective deterrence since the tools of unconventional war are an intrinsic part of Pakistan’s playbook.