Gastrodiplomacy is becoming a defined field of international communications and engagement in its own right, and my friend Paul Rockower has written a lot about this on his own blog (the links are on the left hand side of this page). Exploring China is not only a contribution to China's gastrodiplomacy, but also demonstrates Chinese soft power in action.

On August 15, at President Pranab Mukherjee's first official 'At Home' in Rashtrapati Bhavan's Mughal Gardens, the menu will remain drearily unchanged: samosas, idlis, sandwiches and tea-coffee. Contrast that with the White House, where food is an important tool of US public diplomacy, with everything from its executive chef to its kitchen garden and banquet menus carefully selected and promoted.

This article was translated and edited from an article by Chinese blogger Yang Hengjun (杨恒均), originally posted on the Tianda Institute website. It discusses the role of fast food entities like McDonald's and KFC in China, as well as Chinese restaurants abroad, and how they spreads the culture and values of their respective countries.

A cultural, sports and tourism exchange programme between Vietnamese and Lao border provinces will take place from August 16 in Vietnam’s central provinces of Nghe An, Quang Binh and Ha Tinh and Laos’ Xiengkhoang, Bolykhamsay and Khammouan provinces.

In a week of ultra sporting competition between different nations, 12 of the world's greatest cities came together in a slightly different spirit to look at how they fared in the field of culture. Following a year of intensive research, the Mayor's Office launched the World Cities Culture Report 2012 at an international summit of city government and arts leaders.

Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama met Thursday with Chinese President Hu Jintao's special envoy Li Liguo, who arrived here to attend Friday's scheduled funeral of Ghana's late President John Evans Atta Mills. Mills died on July 24 at the age of 68 at a military hospital in Accra. During the meeting, Mahama said "China is a true friend of Africa, not only in terms of economic cooperation, but also in terms of political solidarity."

Studying the Olympics should be a required experience for anyone running for or serving in public office. Maybe then they could get over the persistent, uncompromising ego that figures so large in politics, and end up working for the common good.

South Korea's president on Friday made a surprise, election-year visit to islets also claimed by Japan, which quickly reasserted its sovereignty there, recalled its ambassador from Seoul and warned that the trip would worsen the countries' strained relations. President Lee Myung-bak's trip to the tiny, rocky outcroppings between the countries was the first by a South Korean president, officials in his office said.