As China reshapes its economic diplomacy under its president, Xi Jinping, considered to be the most powerful leader in the post-Deng Xiaoping era, the reinvigoration of the ancient Silk Route has drawn its focus.

China has started a major water supply project in Sri Lanka, using its “soft power” to deepen its relationship with Colombo.  Once completed, the new project will yield clean drinking water that would benefit 600,000 people, spread in 42 villages, in an area not far from Colombo.

The Chinese government’s influence over American universities is broad and deep, ranging from such subtle pressures as the denial of visas for vocal American scholars to more overt efforts, including opening Chinese cultural institutes on U.S. college campuses, experts on human rights and education told lawmakers Thursday.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are getting their own Hollywood biopic. The film won’t be about tough decisions like the Bin Laden mission or the fight for healthcare reform. It will be a romance film chronicling the first date between a young Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson.

Nelson Mandela died one year ago today, but his legacy lives on. He changed the image of South Africa from that of a country despised for its atrocities to a “Rainbow Nation” (Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s term) that protects and promotes human rights and democratic values.

Education has long been a tool to transmit a culture’s values to its own citizenry as well as conquered territories.  The concept of soft power, developed by political scientist Joseph Nye, can be defined as a persuasive approach to international relations, typically involving the use of economic or cultural influence. 

A sold-out tour of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” ended in Beijing last week. Meanwhile, a Chinese publishing house has nearly finished translating Shakespeare’s works into Mandarin – both signs of the English playwright's surging popularity in China.