Abu Dhabi: Many foreigners know India through stars in Bollywood films and famous Indian artists. That’s why art and culture make a far more lasting impact on relations [between nations and peoples] than that of diplomacy, a top Indian diplomat told Gulf News. India House, the Indian Ambassador’s residence in Abu Dhabi, will be hosting art exhibitions of both Indian and Emirati artists more often, T. P. Seetharam, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, said.

Among China’s relations with Asian neighbors, its ties with the countries in South Asia are generally considered to be the weakest. Now, with Sino-Japan tensions over the East China Sea and conflict with many Southeast Asian countries over the South China Sea, the role of South Asian countries has become more prominent.

The treaty aims to usher in a new chapter of cultural diplomacy between the two countries. While the prospect of a Telugu film being co-produced through this treaty seems a distant possibility, mana filmmakers are waking up to the prospect of shooting films in China.

Social media has changed the political campaign and discourse in India like never before, agreed a panel discussing the learnings from the Lok Sabha elections and the last two US elections as part of the Social Media Week Mumbai on Monday. 

As Indian athletes get ready to compete in Incheon today few remember how the modern Asian Games themselves were virtually invented by India, how central these Games were for the hopes, aspirations and ideals of Nehruvian India and the role they played in soft power diplomacy in the early years after independence.

Incursions cast a shadow over the visit of President Xi Jinping’s visit to India, but the joint statement issued on Friday reiterated their commitment to seek a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution". The two sides also said that ‘an early settlement of the boundary question’ ought to be ‘pursued as a strategic objective’. Policymakers are grappling with the implications of the Xi’s visit. 

When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, by his side will be his glamorous folk singer celebrity wife, Peng Liyuan.  For the Xis, this will be a first visit to India together. For an Indian audience, this will be a first experience of a new - and, some would say, softer - side to China's diplomacy.

India's Ambassador to Kuwait Sunil Jain lauded Tuesday the level of his country's bilateral relations with Kuwait in various fields, particularly in cultural and arts exchange.  The two countries' historic and distinctive relations have contributed in their cultural diversification exchange, which brought Indian and Kuwaiti peoples closer and boosted their bilateral ties.