This year, Vietnam organized cultural exchanges, art exhibitions and Vietnamese cultural heritage days in many countries. Preparations for promoting Vietnamese culture at the APEC Summit 2017 in Vietnam were made. Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga is Senior Consultant to the Secretariat of APEC 2017: “As the host of APEC 2017, Vietnam aims to promote the image and culture of Vietnam, its soft power, tradition of humanity, and cultural values. 

China Central Television (CCTV), Beijing’s largest TV network, said it would launch a new global media platform on New Year’s Day to help re-brand China overseas. [...] President Xi Jinping, in a congratulatory letter, urged the new network to “tell China stories well, spread China’s voice well, let the world know a three-dimensional, colorful China, and showcase China’s role as a builder of world peace”.

Despite sharing an island, comparing the Dominican Republic and Haiti is a slippery slope. Like most neighbors, the two nations have experienced moments of tranquility, moments of teamwork, and moments of tension. Culturally and economically dissimilar, the two interdependent countries are divided by more than a politically-imposed border.

Once again East Asian countries have dominated the global education tables. In recent weeks, both the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) published their rankings of education systems worldwide based on students’ skills and knowledge. 

Mrs Helen Annan, the Chief Executive Officer of Brand Ghana, has underscored the need for the nation to intensify its branding efforts to enhance its competitiveness on the global arena. She said: “The process of branding our nation is now, and we call on everyone to be a brand ambassador in promoting our dear nation Ghana and support the Brand Ghana Office in its endeavour.”

As President-elect Donald Trump continues making his picks of US officials, including the controversial announcement on Friday of Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, his upset poll victory is still sending shock waves around the world. [...] The continued shock at Trump’s election, and some of his early decisions and appointments, threatens to potentially damage the reputation of the United States (so-called ‘Brand America’) internationally.