Asia-Pacific

Sino-US cooperation to include culture

By Chen Jia (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-21 07:45
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Beijing - The first meeting of Chinese and United States officials on a mechanism for cultural exchange will be held in Beijing on May 25th, the Ministry of Education said.

Sino-US cooperation to include culture
Mike Rutter (right) from the United States, teaches Jeet Kune Do to Chinese youngsters in Changsha, Hunan province. Rutter is a fan of China's kungfu legend Bruce Lee and he devoted his early life to learning Jeet Kune Do. He came to China in 2009 to promote its culture. Liang Baohai / For China Daily 

"The meeting will provide the two nations a chance for all-round and in-depth talks in regards to education, science, technology, culture and sport," Zhang Xiuqin, director-general of the ministry's department of international cooperation and exchanges, said on Thursday.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Liu Yandong, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, will chair the meeting together.

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The Ministry of Education is working with the US to implement a four-year education program put forward by President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama.

The two leaders announced the US was committed to sending 100,000 American students to China over the next four years.

"We will talk about how to implement this commitment," Zhang told China Daily, without elaborating.

The number of US students studying in China has been rising steadily, hitting nearly 20,000, according to the latest figures from the ministry.

"The new mechanism could help improve cultural interactions between two sides," Tao Wenzhao, an expert on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China Daily.

"Mechanisms for bilateral cooperation shouldn't only be about politics, economics or security. They should cover education, the entertainment industry and finally the values of two different cultures," he said.