Two Americans are writing Chinese characters.
China's emergence has made it "hugely important" for American students to be fluent in Mandarin according to Margaret Spellings, US education secretary.
Spellings made the remark after she signed a new memorandum of understanding with China's ministry of education late last week to expand language and academic exchanges.
"It's in their [US students'] interest to come and learn from and about China and the Chinese people," she said. "You can buy in any language but you have to sell in the language of the buyer."
Research supported by the US state department has found the number of Americans studying in China jumped 35 per cent in 2004-05 over the previous university year. Spellings said her agency would work to continue the trend. |