President Thein Sein of Myanmar addressed a dinner of American business executives in this city near the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat on Friday, inviting them to invest in his impoverished country after an absence of 25 years. The appearance of Mr. Thein Sein, who traveled to Cambodia from his nearby country for the occasion, was the latest sign of a significant warming of relations between the United States and Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country that had been firmly in China’s orbit.

Inviting young Pacific islanders to a two-week Taiwan study camp is very much in line with President Ma Ying-jeou’s cultural diplomacy started in 2010 to highlight Taiwan’s soft power. This was stated by the Director-General of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Mr James C.K Tien during his remarks to welcome 28 Pacific Islands’ participants that make up Taiwan’s allies from the Pacific at a welcome reception at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reception hall in Taipei.

There is an old saying in India: “Come visit India as a tourist, and you will leave as a family member.” It certainly sounded like a friendly family gathering last month. From June 11th to 13th, senior government leaders from the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy convened in Washington, DC for the third annual U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue.

A widely read microblog written by the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai and known for its sometimes tongue-in-cheek comments about China's social and political issues was inaccessible Friday. Sina Weibo, China's most popular microblog site that hosts the consulate's account, said it could be a technical glitch, an explanation the company has given in the past in cases where censorship was at work.

Wednesday, Edita Vokral, Ambassador of Switzerland in Haiti, accompanied by Hans Reiser, Deputy Coordinator of the Swiss Cooperation, paid a visit to Jean Mario Dupuy, the Haitian Minister of Culture. During this meeting, the Minister of Culture stressed the importance of culture for the development of Haiti, while touting the depth of the creative imagination of the Haitian people. "Culture is one factor that can contribute effectively to the development of the national economy."

In 1991, the North Korean table tennis star paired with her archrival, South Korea's Hyun Jung-hwa, as part of the first "unified Korea" team to march into international competition wearing the blue flag of the Korean Peninsula. With relations between the foes at a low point, the episode is not about to be repeated at the London Olympics.

The Obama Administration's State Department hasn't been an especially strong advocate for human rights, as the recent mishandling of Chinese dissident's Chen Guangcheng's case made painfully clear. Now there's news of more fumbles—this time, in Vietnam.

Demand for visas to visit the United States is growing, but getting one, for many foreigners, has sometimes meant frustratingly long waits for interviews and processing. The State Department struggled to keep up, but this year it took steps to improve. Now, the department says, it has chalked up some victories.