He says market research and surveys show that the Spanish language is Spain's best known product and the one for which the highest demand exists outside the country.

It was an American — Harvard dean Joseph Nye — who coined the term "soft power," but the Chinese have taken the concept to a whole new level. More recently, however, China has taken a different path, with its public persona seeming to become more shrill, even arrogant.

An Egyptian diplomat on Tuesday called for an end to religious intolerance and violence through constructive dialogue, in order to promote understanding among countries and cultures that could help end historical rivalries.

EU diplomats told EurActiv that the recent presidential elections in Ukraine had provided a "great opportunity" to test the European Union's "soft power" in pushing neighbouring countries to reform, taking Brussels as a model.

APDS Blogger: Justin Rashid