Vietnam is expected to keep chasing stronger relations with China, a political adversary for centuries, despite new signs that Beijing has added military infrastructure on several disputed islands in the South China Sea. The Southeast Asian country, long accustomed to China’s buildup in the contested Paracel and Spratly islands, is anxious to grow its exports and meanwhile wants stronger trade with the world's number two economy China.

Officials from the Turkish and Israeli foreign ministries met for the first time in more than six years to discuss cooperation in areas such as energy, trade and tourism. As Turkey and Israel ease into a new era in their relationship, collaboration on more sensitive issues has been slower to emerge. [...] The two sides also agreed to future exchange visits by government ministers as well as business, academic and cultural delegations.

Germany is one of the top ten investors in India and we want to continue this strong bond with India, said Andrea Christ, Deputy Counsel General, German Consulate, who was in the city to launch Dr. Wiesner’s product,[...] Stating that the Indo-German relations have strengthened since the Make in India initiative with cultural exchange programmes and industrial opportunities.

What can cities do to create their own foreign policy? The first article laid out four steps a foreign ministry might take to help cities engage on global challenges: supporting city-based networks, helping to deploy civic technology, working with counterpart ministries abroad to encourage vertical policy integration, and convening the global community to build momentum behind significant and widespread municipal challenges

The US can be a natural partner to Sri Lanka as it progresses on the challenging transformative journey, to develop the nation as a modern democracy, rapidly integrating with the world of business and trade, in peace and friendship, for the mutual benefit of both countries, the Ambassador said.  

On the final day of President Tsai Ing-wen’s second international trip to South America as part of a strategy to consolidate Taiwan’s diplomatic ties with its allies in the region, she hinted that mutual co-operation could become an integral component of its future official relationships. [...] In some respects, bilateral trade has been the bread and butter of Taiwan’s foreign diplomacy for several decades.

Top US economist Larry Summers recently tweeted this in relation to America’s focus on its so-called special relationship with the UK. And he’s right. The economic impact on the US – or any other country – that closes off its trade barriers with countries that are different to it would be enormous. Language matters on a large-scale national level and at the level of smaller businesses. 

The story of China is well-known. China has achieved a remarkable economic growth lifting its country out of poverty. It presents itself as an economic model to the Global South, an alternative to one with liberal democratic political infrastructure. However, its rise on the world stage has not been supported by a commensurate positive national image.