by Cathy Barbash
Within the last six months, a Ministry of Culture subsidiary actually hired a local foreign media expert to advise them on the use of social and other internet media tools to improve its cultural diplomacy (aka soft power) initiatives. Foreign expert told them to use Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and the like.
Ministry of Culture tossed the recommendation.
Within a day of my learning the above, a senior Chinese corporate director asked my advice on VPNs, the software devices that let the user bypass the Great Firewall of China.