Inviting young Pacific islanders to a two-week Taiwan study camp is very much in line with President Ma Ying-jeou’s cultural diplomacy started in 2010 to highlight Taiwan’s soft power. This was stated by the Director-General of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Mr James C.K Tien during his remarks to welcome 28 Pacific Islands’ participants that make up Taiwan’s allies from the Pacific at a welcome reception at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reception hall in Taipei.

Wednesday, Edita Vokral, Ambassador of Switzerland in Haiti, accompanied by Hans Reiser, Deputy Coordinator of the Swiss Cooperation, paid a visit to Jean Mario Dupuy, the Haitian Minister of Culture. During this meeting, the Minister of Culture stressed the importance of culture for the development of Haiti, while touting the depth of the creative imagination of the Haitian people. "Culture is one factor that can contribute effectively to the development of the national economy."

In 1991, the North Korean table tennis star paired with her archrival, South Korea's Hyun Jung-hwa, as part of the first "unified Korea" team to march into international competition wearing the blue flag of the Korean Peninsula. With relations between the foes at a low point, the episode is not about to be repeated at the London Olympics.

Nearly two dozen ambassadors representing countries on five continents will spend three days learning about Wyoming’s remarkable history, exploring its environmental wonders, engaging with experts about conservation efforts, and interacting with the state’s public and private sector leaders.

The resolution on Sri Lanka at the recently held UNHRC secessions in Geneva has caused Sri Lanka to reassess the effectiveness of its investment in the deployment of diplomatic capital - its soft power. A direct consequence of this assessment has been to summon Heads of Sri Lankan Mission for a briefing by the President who emphasized the need to focus on Public Diplomacy and to realign its missions abroad.

IT SOUNDS like the beginning of a bizarre guessing game. As of this month, the following unlikely mixture of people and agencies found themselves tarred with the same brush: Liverpool City Council, the developers and municipal authorities of Panama, the Islamist rebels of West Africa and the quarrelsome bishops of some ancient Christian churches in the Middle East. They all bear a share of responsibility for the fate of places that have recently been deemed by UNESCO to be “World Heritage Sites in danger”.

Panda diplomacy has become a pillar of China's soft power strategy, but the death of a week-old baby panda in Japan -- the first born to Tokyo's Ueno zoo in 24 years -- stands to disappoint those who hoped that its birth would motivate "people-to-people sentiment" and help overcome the strained China-Japan relationship.

Kevin Wang, another student said: "I can't imagine that I can fly 26 hours through half earth to The Gambia, and interact with students. The whole Africa is a secret and strange place to us. I'm looking forward to experience local culture and different lifestyle. I hope we can show them Taiwanese culture during the two weeks, and be friends even after this activity is over."