As visitors from Taiwan and the rest of the world are discovering, however, there are more than flowers on display. The beauty of Taiwanese culture is highlighted through thousands of scheduled cultural performances, and local achievements in horticulture, science and environmental protection can also be seen.

It is crucial Taiwan promotes its cultural relevance within the global community as a means of boosting the nation’s international visibility. As part of this push, the country is planning to engage in linguistic diplomacy through the Taiwan Academies initiative.

Women's rights issues in Taiwan rank fourth in the world and number one in Asia. That's according to a domestic survey based on United Nations methodology. Premier Wu Den-yih attended a national conference for women's issues on Monday. Wu said that these impressive statistics are a result of long-term efforts by the government.

Academics, university leaders, and policy makers from the Asia-Pacific region will gather at a major education conference in Taipei starting on Wednesday that will give Taiwan the chance to forge deeper ties with institutions in nearby countries.

The Taiwan International Orchid Show 2011 opened Friday at the Taiwan Orchid Plantation in the southern city of Tainan. Addressing the opening ceremony, Vice President Vincent Siew said the orchid is one of Taiwan's most important agricultural exports and is also a symbol of the country's soft power.

The Republic of China's representative to the United States attended the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood on Sunday at the invitation of the organizers of the film industry's annual extravaganza. Jason Yuan said that his attendance symbolizes the success of Taiwan's cultural diplomacy.

Costa Rica is the only country in Central America to recognize China and by lavishing such gifts on them Beijing is attempting what could be called ‘Public Diplomacy by-proxy’; where the other mainly poorer Central American Republics begin to diplomatically salivate after witnessing Costa Rica’s special treatment. Whether this works or not remains to be seen as no other Central American Republic has followed suit.