In 2015 the WHO said that smoking is on course to kill 100 million Chinese in this century, and it warned that if the Chinese continue the habit, that rate could increase to 3 million per year by 2050 [...] From Mao Zedong to Deng Xiaoping, China has a long history of luminary smokers. However, “ashtray diplomacy” has abated thanks to a policy introduced in 2013.

Seeing U.S. soldiers cooperate with the PKK's Syrian wing, the PYD, while the PKK was killing Turkish soldiers, will have serious long-term challenges for U.S. public diplomacy in Turkey

Hangeul Planet plans to hold Hangeul calligraphy events at universities at home and abroad and work on cultural diplomacy to promote communication with people around the world through the Korean language.

It’s been a busy winter in downtown Athens, where scaffolding, tarpaulins and dust have been symbols of hope: a mini construction boom heralding a tourist renaissance. Nine hotels are being built or restored around the city centre. [...] The Greek Tourism Confederation, Sete, is predicting another bumper season for an industry that has long been the single biggest contributor to the economy and job market.

The BBC then is central to the branding mobilisation of public neutrality. The degree to which this branding of neutrality has come naturally to Britain with the long ‘culturing’ of physical empire can be readily tracked. It is seen in the way London itself has become a degree zero of nation-branding.

The Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) recently struck a deal with China Radio International (CRI) to share educational content, documentaries and a television series produced by the Chinese media entity, to be aired in Jamaica. [...] The documentaries will highlight the culture and lifestyle of Chinese people, which falls within the focus and mission of the PBCJ “to promote culture and heritage alongside with values and attitudes”