The fourth new project will support the stepping up of EU engagement in China through people-to-people contacts: EU Policy and Outreach Partnership in China (€1.8 million) is a Public Diplomacy tool which aims at giving the EU a stronger voice and at reinforcing its capacity to engage with local publics and stakeholders.

A longtime Las Cruces schoolteacher spent part of her summer in a small village in Albania, working with the Fulbright Association and Cultural Heritage Without Borders to restore historic, Ottoman-era mansions that have fallen into disrepair.

The healing touch provided by the feel-good diplomacy for the return of Geeta from Pakistan has evaporated with the cancellation of the Delhi concert by Ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali. While the Ministry of External Affairs refuses to acknowledge any setback to India-Pakistan people-to-people relationship, the Pakistani civil society figures think otherwise.

Gonzaga University alumna Christi Anne Hofland (’05) is leading an experiment in U.S. international relations at the center of a volatile geopolitical drama. As director of the newly opened America House cultural center here, Hofland combines her passions for cultural diplomacy and people-to-people engagement.

This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of EU-China diplomatic relations, with joint events and initiatives in education, research, youth and culture - both in China and in the EU. A central part of EU-China relations are personal contacts. That is why the EU-China high level people-to-people dialogue, launched in 2012, is so important. It brings people together, allowing us to discuss common challenges and to deepen mutual understanding and friendship, while fully respecting our differences.