Chinese companies still have much to learn about soft power. Africa is not barbarian territory waiting to be developed: it has ancient cultures and traditions. It has won independence from colonial rule and claimed its place as its own continent. How many Chinese firms going into Africa really understand the countries they will work in?

Disjointed aid efforts, in the form of implementing thousands of “quick fix” projects, have miserably failed, however, wasting the precious aid monies of taxpayers to Afghanistan. The way forward must avoid more of the same but draw on the many lessons learned in order to ensure a sustainable and irreversible transition to the Afghan responsibility.

Westerners are savvier to the use of soft power, particularly when non-democracies such as China try their hand. The Canadian ambassador to Beijing, who put up photos of his official car online, prompted a thousand Chinese to comment on the embassy’s microblog, showing that engaging with Chinese 400 million citizens is a useful way to help achieve its foreign policy aims.

We need a vigorous public debate on the role and direction of U.S. Government broadcasting. This includes discussing the purpose of Government broadcasting based not on assumptions or projections from the past but the current and future communication environment and the requirements of foreign policy.

The US Department of State's AIE office plays a vital role in US public diplomacy through a culture of expansive mission. AIE’s exhibitions allow foreign citizens, many of whom might never travel to U.S., to personally experience the depth and breadth of US artistic heritage and values, so that a “footprint can be left where people have no opportunity to see American art.”

As a public diplomacy tool, the Internet has become a heaven-sent gift for Foggy Bottom. Clearly, there is a very determined effort underway to upgrade the image of the State Department from a rather staid and slow-pokey bureaucracy to a hopping, hip, and super-connected organization.

In charting its growth, CCTV is closely studying other models, especially al-Jazeera. But while al-Jazeera's access and deep knowledge of the Middle East — and a hands-off approach by its masters — have been its greatest assets, state-run CCTV's emphatic allegiance to the authoritarian communist state and the party seem to be its biggest liability.

Tel Aviv University president Joseph Klafter proudly announced that Israel's only Confucius Institute is to be found at TAU. As Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, in coming years we’ll see a dramatic expansion of Israel-China ties, which will in part be achieved through a decision to bring 250 Chinese students to Israel on an annual basis.