Vice-President Xi Jinping's recently concluded three-nation tour of Latin America is likely to further enhance China's relations with the region, experts said. Beyond its economic ties with Latin America, China is also interested in promoting its image internationally...China's infrastructure projects in the Caribbean are examples of non-economically motivated relationships in the region.

It’s official, at least as far as a Japanese government survey is concerned: Americans see China, rather than Japan, as their most important partner in Asia. The opinion leaders’ view offers even more emphatic confirmation that trade relations are increasingly carrying more weight than political or general ties with the U.S., usually cited as a reason for choosing Japan.

On Monday morning, David Cameron – in his first major initiative in development diplomacy in the UK – will chair a summit for pledges to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi). There's a shortfall of £2.3bn, and it's being seen as a litmus test of how well aid can survive in the age of austerity.

The alliance has grappled with diverging internal views over whether NATO should be an instrument of "hard" combat missions—generally the U.S. view—or the preference among some in Europe for "soft" power, like "humanitarian, development, peacekeeping, and talking tasks," as Gates put it.

To this end so-called “soft power” – the ability to win the battle of ideas not just the war – will become increasingly crucial. Unfortunately the Government is making cuts to institutions such as the BBC World Service and the British Council, which are key assets in our soft power capability.

...Lee Ting-ching from Kaohsiung, said many Taiwanese people are barred from joining international organizations, and hopefully by 2030, Taiwan would be able to use its "soft power" to shine on the international stage and rejoin the United Nations.

Gates... spoke of NATO turning into a “two-tiered alliance” where the very few... take on the “hard power” combat assignments. Meanwhile, a majority limits itself to “soft power” work such as delivering humanitarian and development aid and, at most, to participating in peacekeeping missions.

By now it's no secret to anyone with a high-speed Internet connection: The gap between the popularity of contemporary Japanese culture overseas and its anemic industries at home has become a chasm. Anime conventions in the United States continue to proliferate..