Cultural exchanges will help China and Colombia grow closer together, said Chinese Ambassador to Colombia Li Nianping Friday after the first performance of the Jilin Song and Dance Ensemble here [...] As two countries are celebrate 36 years of their diplomatic relations next month, there will be an increase in cultural programs and trade missions, Li said, adding that more Colombians are welcome to China for a visit.

In the past year, China and Latin America have given strategic priority to bilateral cooperation through establishing a comprehensive cooperation mechanism, upgrading production capacity cooperation, furthering cooperation in trade, investment and finance as well as increasing cultural exchanges.

The 2016 Taipei International Book Exhibition will feature Hungary as its theme country, introducing the country's literature, illustrations, photography and cinema to Taiwanese readers, the Taipei Book Fair Foundation announced Wednesday.
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Frédéric Ramel, a professor of international relations at Sciences Po in Paris, said Russia uses the Red Army Choir to engage in cultural diplomacy and to make foreigners appreciate its culture and its sense of nationalism.

Sanctions have become as sacred to western armouries as nuclear bombs were 50 years ago. No one dares question them for fear of being thought a dove or a wimp. They cost little to the aggressor but make them feel good. They repress trade rivals. They attract macho adjectives, such as tough, meaningful, targeted and smart. They are chiefly aimed at domestic consumption. Only the poor (and a handful of rich) in the victim states suffer.