The head of the nation's global development agency said Wednesday he will step down from his post in February, following an announcement by the U.S. government that it would start talks toward restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba.

As one of the major events of the China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, "Access China" plays a significant role in promoting Sino-US cultural and educational exchanges and strengthening development and cooperation in the areas of culture and education.

The U.S.-European partnership is central to addressing problems requiring a global response. The commitment of young people to transatlantic problem-solving will depend in large part on their personal experience. There is no better way to inform young people and to make a life-lasting impression than through exchange programs.

The news of Pope Francis’ role in bringing about a new chapter in relations between the United States and Cuba demonstrates compellingly what Holy See diplomacy is able to achieve.

Yes, English will to be the universal language far into the future. Even so, learning languages like Mandarin is imperative. It is a matter of respect for the people with whom we are increasingly engaged in the new global economy.

Now that the decades-long trade embargo between the U.S. and Cuba looks to be a thing of the past, Americans may soon be partying with Cuban goods like it’s 1959. Culturally, however, Cuba’s influence has been here all along.

With Abe now entrenched as Japan’s most powerful leader in years, having comfortably secured another term through last weekend’s snap election, Japan’s diplomatic spats over its past misdeeds, especially when it involves South Korea, may well get worse before it gets any better. And if relations do deteriorate further, we are likely to see more American commentators urging Japan to show greater remorse for wartime actions vis-à-vis its neighbor.

President Obama's move to normalize relations with Cuba will test a theory that has been popular for years in Democratic circles, and a few Republican ones too. The Castro government doesn't fear the embargo and interminable hostilities with the United States; it has thrived on them, so the thinking goes. What worries the island's control-minded leaders far more is change.