The personal touch shows Abe’s determination to maintain ties with the Philippines as Japan competes with China for business deals. Security ties between the Southeast Asian nation and the U.S. have deteriorated under Duterte, and with China growing increasingly assertive in the region, Abe is seeking to convince his counterpart to stick with Japan and the U.S.

Beijing predicts that the new Silk Road will allow China to extend and showcase its soft power both culturally and economically. We are in a "period of strategic opportunity" up to 2020, according to the Beijing leadership, notwithstanding the remarks from American president-elect Donald Trump or territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

There are strong and natural compatibilities between India and Pacific Island Countries. India would not displace existing international relationships, but rather complement them, strengthening the region, and in return helping India’s global position. But for that to happen, there needs to be more points of contact. India needs to ensure more diplomatic representation in Oceania. A good country to start would be the Kingdom of Tonga, which was never colonised and holds a unique soft power position in the South Pacific, and internationally.

The formal launch this month of China Global Television Network (CGTN), bringing the international channels of China Central Television (CCTV) and its digital presence under a new branding effort, should be understood as the latest push to develop an international broadcast infrastructure allowing China to advance its messages and flex its “discourse power.”

The anniversary of Shakespeare’s death is now over, but officially inspired adulation of Tang carries on. [...] Officials want to cultivate pride in Chinese literature, and boost foreign awareness of it. It is part of what they like to call China’s “soft power”.
 

This year, Vietnam organized cultural exchanges, art exhibitions and Vietnamese cultural heritage days in many countries. Preparations for promoting Vietnamese culture at the APEC Summit 2017 in Vietnam were made. Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga is Senior Consultant to the Secretariat of APEC 2017: “As the host of APEC 2017, Vietnam aims to promote the image and culture of Vietnam, its soft power, tradition of humanity, and cultural values.