Diplomatic Pouch | Mike Peters

China's Ambassador to the US Zhang Yesui recently hosted an open house at the Chinese embassy in Washington with the theme "Experiencing Chinese Culture". More than 300 students, teachers, and parents of local schools participated in the event. Guests saw the embassy's unique art collections, watched video shows about China and got a taste of Chinese kung fu, Chinese calligraphy, traditional music and Peking Opera. They practiced with chopsticks, tasted traditional Chinese foods and competed in a quiz on China.

Zhang encouraged the students to learn Chinese, get to know Chinese culture and travel to China if they have the opportunity in the future and help to enhance China-US relations.

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Cyprus' Ambassador to China Ioanna Malliotis and EU Ambassador to China Markus Ederer met the press in Beijing to mark the July 1 assumption of the EU presidency by Cyprus.

Malliotis, who arrived in Beijing just five months ago, said the embassy would host a series of cultural events over the coming months to introduce the Chinese people to Cyprus.

Ederer gave a preview of bilateral relations ahead of the EU-China strategic dialogue that begins July 9.

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Siamelie Latu, ambassador of the Kingdom of Tonga and his spouse Sesilia Latu hosted a cocktail reception on Friday to launch the embassy's new website. The dress code: Aloha/smart casual.

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Rwandan Ambassador Francois Xavier Ngarambe hosted a reception on Friday to celebrate the nation's 50th year of independence.

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The French embassy hosted the National Center for Dairy Industries of France last week for a French cheese promotion party in Beijing, offering information about the culture of the country's cheese and tastings of brie, Camembert and other dairy morsels to Chinese guests.

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US Ambassador Gary Locke hosted a Fourth of July reception last week for high-ranking Chinese officials and the diplomatic corps.

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The EU-China River Basin Management Program recently held its closing ceremony in Beijing, with a review of five years of work to establish cooperation on water-resources management. Speakers included Chen Lei, minister of water resources of China, Markus Ederer, head of the European Union delegation to China and Mongolia, and Jose Tadeu Soares, ambassador of Portugal to China.

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The Spanish Cultural Center, or Cervantes Institute, recently hosted Dia E, celebrating the Spanish language in Beijing. The fun included music, a table football tournament, salsa workshops, karaoke in Spanish and food tasting from Spanish-speaking countries. Peru's Ambassador to China Gonzalo Gutierrez Reinel was one of many diplomats and staff on hand to introduce Chinese students to cultures that use one of the world's most widely spoken languages.

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The Venezuelan embassy in Beijing last week hosted the global premiere of A Soldier's Memoirs, directed by Venezuelan director Caupolican Ovalles. The film was featured in the non-competitve section of the recent Shanghai International Film Festival.

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China's Consul General for San Francisco Gao Zhansheng and his spouse Wang Yanlai attended the gala banquet hosted by the consulate general of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, concluding the first Israel-China Cultural Festival in San Francisco.

Gao congratulated the organizers of the month-long festival, saying the event provided "a great opportunity to celebrate and illuminate the historic contact between two of the world's oldest civilizations."

Send embassy and consulate news to michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn.