From a foreigner`s view, Korea is a very impressive country. In just 50 years or so, Korea overcame the disasters of war and division of two Koreas through utmost effort and sacrifice, and became the world`s seventh largest exporter. The country exhibited an unprecedented pace of economic growth as exemplified by the "Miracle of Han River," the story of which is much touted among foreigners.

So what can $300 million buy you in China? Perhaps, the Chinese version of the Rhodes Scholarship. That's what the Chinese and American private equity mogul Stephen Schwarzman are hoping. The Blackstone Group founder is doling out $100 million of his own money and raising another $200 million to set up an international scholarship program at elite Tsinghua University in Beijing. Alumni include business leaders as well asa China's president, Xi Jinping.

In the first three months of this year, ticket sales for American-made films in the world's second-largest cinema market took an unexpected nosedive. Hollywood's revenues fell by about two thirds in China, compared with the same period a year earlier, to about $A195 million, as big-budget titles such as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey failed to impress.

The Journal of Chilean Diplomatic Academy, ‘Diplomacia’ has recently published various essays on famous writers who were also successful diplomats. The content is not only valuable for its biographic details but it could additionally open a topic that needs to be developed further by writers and diplomats.

Davutoglu responded by saying that Turkey is not isolated, but that this unfortunately was the image opposition parties and others were seeking to present of the country's leadership to the world. Davutoglu said Turkey is involved in so many important regional issues that it could not possibly be isolated.

A week of critical diplomacy is set to begin in Washington, Beijing and Pyongyang. But the sides are so far apart, at least in public declarations, it is impossible to predict where any diplomatic efforts will lead.

"Flower diplomacy" is bridging political and religious gaps in Tokyo, as wives of foreign ambassadors in Japan meet each month for a flower arranging session and dinner at various ambassadors' residences. They will share their work at the "Flowers Connect the World" exhibition on April 22 in Tokyo's Minato Ward.