Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to Tokyo on July 27 after visiting Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. This was his third visit to Southeast Asia since he returned to power in December. Clearly he is placing great importance on Japan’s ties with the region. Of the three countries he visited this time, Malaysia and the Philippines have territorial disputes with China. There is a strong possibility that China feels that Japan is trying to encircle it diplomatically.

Our neighbor’s tourism theme song “Malaysia Truly Asia” has been ringing in our ears for so many years that we can easily hum it. The campaign, presenting the country as a potpourri of Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures living together in harmony, has succeeded in presenting a positive Malaysian image overseas.

To mark the five-year anniversary of that designation, organizers of the annual George Town Festival have amped up the island's cultural offerings, stuffing a huge amount of art, film, music, dance and food into a single month. Despite the heritage connection, the festival isn’t just an ode to the city’s history.

Officials from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia working on higher education reform will exchange experiences with Malaysian counterparts at a 4-day workshop beginning today, supported by the World Bank and the British Council Malaysia.

AS Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia head to the polls this year and the next, it is interesting to note that discussion on foreign policy is almost absent in the local campaigns we are witnessing. This is symptomatic of the elections in Southeast Asia as a whole, and has been the case for decades, in fact. It may also signal the recognition that as relatively young states, the countries of the Asean region recognise that as single entities their foreign policies may not have an impact wider than the region they inhabit.

While Malaysia does have attractive attributes as a tourist destination, its image abroad can be boosted by creating brand awareness. German tour operators who offer Malaysia in their tour programmes are upbeat about the attractiveness of the country to German tourists, but they want the country to be as well-known as Thailand and Bali.

It is important for everyone to realise that a country's brand is a proclamation of existing strengths and not a statement of desire, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. He said this had to be rooted in reality and connected to the people, encompassing products, governance, sustainable growth as well as social and human capital.

Part of American Music Abroad, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced that Kensington, Maryland-based folk group Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, with Barbara Lamb, will tour Asia and the Pacific Islands. The trio will tour China Dec. 30 - Jan. 6, Malaysia Jan. 7-17, Vanuatu Jan.18-23 and Papua New Guinea January 23-27. Tour activities will include public concerts, lectures, demonstrations, workshops, media outreach, and collaborations with local musicians.