Fresh from the visit of US President Barack Obama, Thailand is set to host Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao this week. Although president Obama's visit took much of the attention of the press, the Chinese leader's visit is no less significant. The visit is very important in the relationship between the two countries, which will become increasingly sophisticated along as China continues to rise economically and politically.

Visiting the land down under just became easier for a number of American travelers. On November 1, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service announced a trial program extending Australia’s SmartGate program to U.S. Global Entry members.

The Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and YouTube have announced the launch of a unique initiative, inviting people all over the world to participate in a short film contest titled ‘India Is…a visual journey’, celebrating India and her diversity. The contest will be open to users across the globe for a period of three months, with the last day of submission being February 9.

China launched its first cultural industry index on Friday to provide an indicator of how the sector is performing. Shenzhen Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Securities Information Co., Ltd. jointly issued the OCT Culture Index named after OCT group, a Shenzhen-based state-owned enterprise administered by the central government.

The November 9 The New York Times, reporting about the impeachment motion against Sri Lanka's Chief Justice now before the parliament, gave enough fodder to the Subcommittee on South Asian Affairs of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee detrimental to the image of Sri Lanka.

What can branding in the commercial sector teach us about nation-state image communication?