All posts by LKY - 153. page

Huaqiao University and Social Sciences Academic Press recently published the first “Blue Book on Overseas Chinese.” According to People’s Daily Oversea’s Edition, the Blue Book highlighted the development in recent decades of Chinese language and cultural education outside of China, along with the challenges it faces. According to the statistics in the Blue Book, there are currently over 5,000 Chinese language schools and 20,000 Chinese language teachers overseas, including 3,000 Chinese schools in Asian countries alone, and 500 Chinese schools and 68,000 students in the U.S.

The Blue Book highlighted the challenges oversea’s Chinese educational development faces. "There is an imbalance in the allocation of resources; the quality of teaching is inconsistent in different regions; effective coordination can be improved; and communication between foreign Chinese language promotional agencies and education entities is lacking. … The challenges have affected the branding of ‘China’s image’ … and diminished China’s ‘Cultural soft power’" The Blue Book suggested there is a need to increase the efforts and resources devoted to the development of Chinese language education and to the development of a global Chinese language education system.

Zhao Yang, the Deputy Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council disclosed that China will increase its investment in training oversea’s Chinese language teachers and will support the development of a Chinese language education system. According to the article, currently there is a training class held in Kunming University for Chinese language teachers from Burma. Another will be held in Wuhu City of Anhui Province in December to train teachers from Indonesia.

Source: Xinhua, August 19, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/overseas/2011-08/19/c_121882177.htm

Beijing Daily published a commentary on the downgrade of the US credit rating and suggested the measures that China should take. The commentary stated, “The downgrade of the U.S. credit rating from AAA is a historic and symbolic event. It should be viewed as a major turning point in the decline of the country’s national development. The decline of the U.S., already a global consensus, necessarily means great changes and strenuous adjustments in the world order. The East Wind prevails over the West Wind. The center of gravity of world power is shifting to emerging countries. The world’s political and economic structure will end the era in which the West makes the call. This is determined by the reality and trend of the global development of productivity. Facing this major adjustment and change, China needs to have a clear understanding and a conscious response.” 

During his visit in Poland, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told the media that China pays close attention to the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. China supports the measures that the European Union and the International Monetary Fund have taken to stabilize the situation. “China continues to have confidence in the Euro zone and the Euro. In recent years, China has increased its holdings of Euro bonds.” Yang said that China will continue to support Europe and the Euro.

Yang also hoped that “the United States adopt a responsible monetary policy,” and that “the U.S. implement practical measures to insure the safety of other countries’ assets in the U.S.”

Source: China News Service, August 5, 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2011/08-05/3236891.shtml