Ballet Philippines had the recent honor of being invited to the 40th-anniversary celebration of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China. The invitation was given by the Department of Foreign Affairs International Economic Relations-Cultural Diplomacy Unit with the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

French Ambassador Yves Carmona announced in a press conference today the participation of two Nepali restaurants in the Gout de France/Good France event celebrating French gastronomy. “Diplomacy, at all times, has been more effective around a good meal accompanied with fine wines; that creates a more conducive atmosphere for tough discussion,” said Carmona. 

As India gives visa-on-arrival to the Japanese, Tokyo has responded by further relaxing conditions for multiple-entry visas for short-term stay for ordinary Indian passport holders. [...] The relaxation is based on an understanding reached between the two countries during Japanese PM Shinzo Abe's visit to India in December 2015.

While domestically it defines the debate between Apple and the FBI, we should not minimize its relevance, and consequently the outcome of the court battle, on American soft power. Sinologist David Shambaugh does a side-by-side comparison between the United States and China in his book China Goes Global: The Partial Power. 

It’s not an easy time to exude confidence if you’re Britain’s newly appointed ambassador to the United States. But as he sits on a plush couch beneath a towering portrait of Winston Churchill, Sir Kim Darroch, 61, makes a pretty good go at it.

Romanian ambassador to Baku Daniel Cristian Ciobanu took part in a two-day meeting dedicated to NATO public diplomacy activities in partner countries on February 23-24. [...] Ambassador Ciobanu participated in the event within the mandate Romanian diplomatic mission is fulfilling as NATO Contact Point Embassy in Azerbaijan for the 4th time in a row.

160 years of Bangkok-Paris diplomatic relations are being celebrated this year. Life caught up with new French Ambassador to Thailand Gilles Garachon to discuss food, the AEC and cultural exchange. Political and economic diplomacy may be the core business of his job, but the ambassador puts emphasis on understanding culture.

The world's largest exhibition to be held outside the Vatican of liturgical artifacts used by popes was launched Feb. 4 at the National Palace Museum in Taipei City, Taiwan. [...] It underscores 73 years of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the Vatican, and highlights the deepening of bilateral relations and exchanges between the two sides.