One of the more delicious forms of public diplomacy has recently emerged in the global consciousness: gastrodiplomacy. Public diplomacy is a field predicated on the communication of culture and values to foreign publics; gastrodiplomacy, most plainly put, is the act of winning hearts and minds through stomachs. It is a public and cultural diplomacy endeavor that the governments of Korea and Taiwan have recently embarked on.

Continuing my look at Taiwan’s public diplomacy, this week I talk to Professor Gary Rawnsley of the University of Leeds in the UK. Prof Rawnsley teaches courses on the media and democratisation in Asia.

Taiwan's sports diplomacy is in full swing! That's as the country recently completed construction on a national tennis center in Saint Lucia. Republic of China Ambassador to Saint Lucia Tom Chou said that the purpose of building the tennis center is to make tennis a national pastime in Taiwan's Caribbean ally.

“Taiwan is already well known in the film and television arena for its distinct artistic qualities. This film festival will give viewers an opportunity to experience the rich texture of Taiwan's unique film making style with the aim of sharing its rich cultural heritage, art and history through cinema,” Joy Yen, director information division, TECC, said in a statement.

On this week’s program, [research fellow at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy in Taipei], Paul [Rockower], spoke with me about the broader concept of ‘public diplomacy’, and how Taiwan uses it. He also talked about the real meaning of ’soft power’.

China's Minister of Culture Cai Wu arrived in Taipei Thursday at the head of a 40-member delegation for an eight-day visit...Cai was invited by the Taipei-based Sheen Chuen-chi Cultural and Educational Foundation to visit in his capacity as chief of Beijing's China Friendship Association.

Most Taiwanese, who do not travel to or work in China, can only learn about Chinese by reading newspapers, watching television or listening to the radio. However, when Chinese come to Taiwan, locals can learn about their cousins from across the Strait first-hand, both the good and the bad. It’s a type of low-level diplomacy that cuts through misunderstandings and prejudices better than any ­government-sponsored effort.

Taiwan's legislature approved a bill Thursday to allow Chinese students to study at local universities, dismantling another barrier in a bid to further ease hostilities between the once-bitter rivals. The bill, to take effect in early 2011, will allow local colleges to admit up to 2,000 mainland students a year to enrol in all areas except military, police and security-related studies.