At a sun-drenched park on Suva's waterfront, Fiji's rugby-loving military ruler Voreqe Bainimarama extols the benefits of tai chi as a master of the slow-motion Chinese martial art looks on. Bainimarama's conversion to tai chi's gentle techniques...symbolizes his quest since his 2006 coup to forge closer links with China.

Conveying information and selling a positive image is often best accomplished by private citizens; today, the soft sell may prove more effective than the hard sell. The main strength of the government broadcasting and mass media approach to public diplomacy is its audience reach and ability to generate public awareness and set the agenda

During the past few years, Beijing has talked of projecting its soft power, its cultural influence. But that was either a feint or was destined to be a flop. Instead, China is now exercising its influence in the world of hard power, where it makes other countries behave in the way it wants -- and this is especially apparent in the seas surrounding China's 14,500km coastline.

The Commonwealth Games are not expected to be particularly gripping viewing for sports fans. After all, most of the top international athletes have pulled out, citing everything from scheduling to muscle strains as evidence of India’s abysmal planning piled up and Delhi was stricken with an outbreak of dengue fever.

The 19th Commonwealth Games were declared open on Sunday in a spectacular opening ceremony that should help repair the damage to India's image caused by a calamitous build-up to the sporting festival.

The ROC government announced recently it will invest over NT$33 billion (US$1.05 billion) to help develop the cultural and creative industry of Taiwan. The announcement is a sign the government is beginning to take the industry more seriously, something further evidenced when the Cabinet-level Council for Cultural Affairs said it will hold a fair in November to help the nation’s cultural and creative industry break into the mainland Chinese market.

President Ma Ying-jeou attended an event on the morning of September 29 where participants in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' International Youth Ambassador Exchange Program shared their experiences in the program. Besides promoting cultural diplomacy, the president remarked that these individuals represent Taiwan's soft power, extending friendship and compassion to the nation's allies.