The international ramifications for China's slowly rebuilding reputation would be too much to bear even for the relatively untouchable Communist Party... On the one hand, Europeans are slowly becoming more reliant on Chinese bail-out money – do not bite the hand that feeds you. On the other, Europe must maintain its soft-power credit, even if only on the surface.

With a political even-handedness that deserves a place in the annals of diplomacy, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is presenting the Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan this week and the Beijing Dance Theater...The dance idiom mixes Eastern and Western styles...

With Taiwan’s visibility around the world sometimes limited due to its special relationship with mainland China, making good use of its soft power, particularly in the cultural and creative sector, is crucial to increasing the country’s exposure and influence.

European comic fans will be able to enjoy a wide selection of original Taiwanese animation at an upcoming festival in France, the Government Information Office (GIO) said at a press conference Wednesday.

The government also hopes that raising the profile of local designers will help increase the country’s soft power, says Tony Chang (張光民), chief executive officer of the ministry-backed Taiwan Design Center, which was set up to promote the local design industry.

nARCHITECTS, a burgeoning Brooklyn studio...has sent us images of its latest work: an arched bamboo pavilion designed to raise awareness about a Taiwanese forest under siege. The Forest Pavilion was conceived for an arts festival organized to promote preserving the landscape as a forest.

Taiwan's soft power in the cultural and creative industry was the highlight of the presentation. A magic balloon man impressed the audience by quickly twisting balloons into a kangaroo, the icon of the outback, Taipei 101, the world's tallest green building in Taipei, an American cartoon character.

Taiwan has been a relatively quiet player in the tense dispute about territorial claims in the South China Sea. That could change with an unusual initiative that Taipei says is a peaceful approach to asserting its sovereignty in a body of water where China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims. The plan involves tourists, rare turtles and a remote atoll.