Our hosts were all in their late 20s or early 30s, surprisingly younger than I had expected. Yet I quickly read two messages from that: 1) public diplomacy remains an experimental endeavor, to which new ideas might contribute more than years’ experiences; 2) our meeting was likely to be more informative than official. The second message turned out to be only partially true.

What is the State Department's strategy to counter China's use of soft power around the world? Host Carol Castiel and VOA State Department Correspondent Scott Stearns interview Tara Sonenshine, the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. In a wide-ranging interview, Sonenshine speaks about the role of public diplomacy and what the U.S. is doing to compete with China's growing soft power, particularly in Africa.

China's political advisers have called for a well-coordinated system that would feature government taking the lead in promoting Chinese culture around the world, with private institutions playing a supportive role.

APDS Blogger: Danni Li

BEIJING--

More money for young artists and indigenous languages, a new location incentive to increase the competitiveness of the local film industry, plus an overhaul of the Australia Council are among the initiatives in the much-delayed national cultural policy announced on Wednesday...The policy also points to the important of arts and culture in diplomacy, with a revamp of the Australia International Cultural Council, encouraging arts organisations to build international links.

Repower Greece organized an academic US tour to spark a discussion across North America on rebuilding Greece and changing the world’s negative perceptions of its people. Below are the findings of the discussions as they were presented by Alexandros Costopoulos, one of the initiative’s organizers.

While the the outcomes of revolutions across North Africa and the Middle East are far from certain, what is clear is that the world has seen historic changes that can be in part attributed to so-called connection technologies. After Ross announced on Twitter and Facebook that he would be leaving the State Department this month, we connected to discuss about his plans and reflections on his tenure.

A special delegation of 11 Israeli high school students landed in Paris on Sunday as part of the Israeli Jewish Congress' "Young Ambassadors" program..."Teenagers are the most useful group when it comes to public diplomacy," Sloutsker said.