Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam has wrapped up his four-day state visit to Cambodia with two agreements signed and other commitments to further enhance the relationship between the two countries and their people. Singapore has played a significant role in Asean community building, particularly in narrowing the development gaps within Asean. 

As the Obamas get ready to leave the White House on January 20th, their legacy has become a topic of interest nationally and internationally. Michelle Obama, the United States’ first black First Lady, has spearheaded and organized numerous successful initiatives in the past eight years [...] While the First Lady’s initiatives domestically should not be understated, it is her most recent program that has, and will continue to have, the largest global impact.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is currently on a tour across Africa, where he is busy shaking hands with dignitaries and posing for photo ops, . Wang's New Year's visits to the African continent are almost a tradition, this time he is in Madagascar, Tanzania, Zambia, Congo and Nigeria. Zambia wants to become a transport and logistics hub in southern Africa and Wang has promised help. [...] China is investing heavily in Africa. 

Tweets, of course, do not speak. They are lines, no more than 140 characters, broadcast to the world, lacking the context of a 40-page policy paper or even a full paragraph tossed off during a backyard barbecue. And the utterings of the next president often prompt a slew of questions about how they relate to policy or international diplomacy and whether they promote falsehoods or increase global instability.

Beijing predicts that the new Silk Road will allow China to extend and showcase its soft power both culturally and economically. We are in a "period of strategic opportunity" up to 2020, according to the Beijing leadership, notwithstanding the remarks from American president-elect Donald Trump or territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

South Korea is a latecomer when it comes to public diplomacy. It can learn from Taiwan's experience, especially its public diplomacy with the United States. It's a fitting proposition because there is a view that South Korea, under Park Geun-hye, displayed the appearance of "tilting" towards China at the expense of the U.S., its major ally.

In the eight years of the Obama administration, and especially since it launched its “pivot to Asia” in 2011, the United States has consolidated its ties with some traditional allies in the region and seen others weaken. It has also improved its relations with other countries, including former bitter adversaries. In February, Barack Obama also became the first US president to host a meeting of leaders from the ASEAN.