Ambassadors and guests from around the world gathered to kick off Donald J. Trump’s January 20 inauguration. Sister Cities International’s January 17 inaugural ball was among the first of many inaugural festivities in Washington as Trump becomes the 45th U.S. president.

Caroline Kennedy stepped down on Wednesday after three years as US ambassador to Japan, where she was welcomed like a celebrity and worked to deepen the US-Japan relationship despite regular flare-ups over American military bases on the southern island of Okinawa [...] Some will also remember the efforts of the first female US ambassador to Japan to promote literacy and women’s and LGBT rights. 

Ireland must engage in a deeper way with its diaspora in order to prosper in a world of increasing uncertainty, Tim O’Connor, a former senior Irish diplomat, told a gathering of Irish-Americans in Dublin on Tuesday evening. Ahead of Donald Trump’s presidency in the US and the UK’s forthcoming departure from the EU, he said that now was not a moment to be thinking small.

In addition to being the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid, we have worked to ensure the rights of conflict victims – including women and girls, the elderly, the disabled, minorities, and LGBTI persons – are respected. We have also backed efforts to use both humanitarian and development resources to help societies that host large numbers of refugees so their citizens do not suffer from overburdened hospitals and overcrowded classroom

As the new president-elect prepares to take office, traditional analysts scramble to prepare policy papers on their public diplomacy recommendations. In keeping with the twist of the Trump candidacy, it seems fitting to turn the tables and see what insights public diplomacy may glean from the Trump run. Social media, emotion, and identity are redefining traditional strategies, and Trump has exploited these shifting communication dynamics.

When dealing with the Trump administration, China should pay attention to several factors. First, China should get to know Trump's political ambitions, and establish contacts with his core team. China should strengthen the role of non-governmental actors in public diplomacy, and improve Sino-US public diplomacy by using think tanks to effectively control conflicts. Last but not the least, China needs to enhance social media communication and promote international discourse.