In the last decade, the European Union has made China a priority of its international strategy. China's fast economic development and its growing importance in the global economy and politics put the country in the focus of the EU's interest. Differently to the US, though, Europe has intensified its educational links with China relatively recently.

San Francisco celebrates Arab Heritage Month with three major events in October. The 20th Annual Arab Cultural Festival kicks off the festivities on Saturday, Oct. 4 in Union Square.

Beijing sees the Confucius Institutes as a way to promote its own soft power overseas, similar to the British Council or Germany’s Goethe-Institut.  Yet recently, criticism has come hard and fast. 

Experts from Korea and Spain exchanged ideas to facilitate bilateral relations in the areas of regional branding, culture and smart cities at the Marriot Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday.

China’s effort to project soft-power has suffered another serious setback after a second US university in a week announced it would close its on-campus Confucius Institute because of an apparent disagreement over Chinese government controls.

The wonderfully named Thai Delicious Committee, a Thai-government-sponsored agency, has developed a machine that can supposedly distinguish genuine green curry from inferior imitations of the country’s classic dish. The existence of an officially sanctioned Thai green curry recipe, not to mention a machine programmed to robotically taste it, is but one example of Thailand’s ongoing efforts in culinary diplomacy.