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Studies on relations and networks in both public diplomacy and public relations have been focusing on the project implementation. Largely ignored is the foundational stage of resource gathering before implementation that also involves relationship management. This paper applies the social network analysis to examine the 100,000 Strong partnership network for study abroad in China that facilitates the transaction of necessary resources to support US public diplomacy implementation. The findings of the research suggest that the 100,000 Strong Foundation, as the network builder, has successfully established channels to mobilize resources through opportunity recognition, information arbitrage, and innovativeness creation. Other network actors also obtained various levels of power from the network structure, which may ultimately contribute to public diplomacy. This study offers a new theoretical and methodological framework to study relations and networks in public diplomacy and public relations, while informing some practical insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]