South Korea and China have agreed to carry out 69 cultural projects this year to build stronger ties between their people, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Friday. [...] The projects include various academic seminars, youth exchange programs, speech contests and concerts, as well as a joint study of pandas.

“Our U.S. government can’t be everywhere at every moment,” said Jennifer Clinton, president of Global Ties U.S. “We must continue to find ways to leverage the citizenry to build the bridges that lead to increased security, economic development, economic ties and cultural ties.”

The incident was the latest in a string of cultural flashpoints surrounding the centuries-old Indian practice, and has made many a yogi rethink the lines between cultural exchange and cultural appropriation.

“The Global Village encourages social sustainability, world awareness, and cultural understanding. [...] It revives the general concept of the world being a ‘global village’ and inspires people to understand and appreciate the uniqueness and differences of each other, which further contributes to peace."

President Xi Jinping proposed the cultural exchange year in 2014 when he attended the China-Latin America and the Caribbean Summit in Brasilia.

Liu Xi, Chairman of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at Harvard Kennedy School, and chief organizer of the China trek project, says the trip to China will bring a better understanding between the Chinese and the American people in the near future.

The Nationals have expressed interest to MLB about playing the Cuban national team, while the country’s baseball commissioner has openly welcomed the Nationals to play in Havana next spring. [...] Baker feels the baseball team in the nation’s capital would carry extra significance, especially with thawing relations between the two countries.