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People-to-people ties benefit both China, US
By Judith A. McHale |
April 13, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
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AS two of the world's largest economies and populations, China and the United States are critical partners on many of today's most pressing global issues.
From pursuing clean energy resources to promoting public health, the Chinese and American governments must face the complex challenges of the 21st century together. But cooperation between our governments alone is not enough. Our people must also stand and work shoulder-to-shoulder, as steadfast friends and unhesitating partners.
To encourage this, Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are jointly chairing the second US-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange in Washington, DC, this week.
We established this forum last year in Beijing to highlight the depth and breadth of cooperation between our countries, and to identify ways we can supplement and enhance our existing people-to-people ties.
Ultimately, people-to-people engagement is not a government-to-government function, but governments have an essential role in fostering an open environment for honest and cooperative interactions between our citizens. Any restrictions that deter or diminish opportunities for such interactions threaten our goal of forming lasting bonds through personal exchange.
We need to reduce obstacles to mutual understanding and we need to ensure access to one another's societies. Both countries need to live up to their stated values and both countries must not jeopardize the basic human rights and dignity that are the foundation of people-to-people engagement.
People-to-people connections have taken on a growing importance as our world becomes ever more interdependent. The more we understand about each other, the better able we will be to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and concern. That is why we are encouraging Chinese and American citizens of all ages and professions to be proactive in engaging and getting to know one another.
The Consultation on People-to-People Exchange explores several thematic areas where we can facilitate building connections between people in villages and towns across China and the United States: education, culture, sports, science and technology, and women's issues.
Student ambassadors
Students traveling abroad or participating in educational exchanges play a major role in building mutual understanding and dispelling cultural misperceptions.
Nearly 130,000 students from the People's Republic of China now study at universities and colleges in the United States, more than from any other country in the world. And around 14,000 American students are studying in China.
These student ambassadors live and learn side by side with students from their host country, and their friendships form the foundation for a strong partnership between our nations for years to come.
In order to help provide Chinese students with better information about opportunities to study in the United States, we have recently expanded our "EducationUSA" educational advising office and online presence in China.
And we are working to increase the number of American youth studying in China through the "100,000 Strong Initiative." Over the next four years, we want to see 100,000 US students study in China as part of their education, 10,000 of whom will be aided with bridge scholarships funded by the Chinese government.
Both our governments recognize the value of these educational exchanges and fully support the binational US-China Fulbright Program for American and Chinese students and scholars. This flagship program is an enduring symbol of our shared commitment to cross-cultural learning.
Through the Fulbright and other exchanges, the US government is funding more Americans to study in China than in any other foreign country. But we must do more.
President Obama and President Hu Jintao have both expressed their belief in the importance of people-to-people exchange. The people of China and the United States have much more that unites us than divides us, and the more we can learn about each other, the smaller our differences will seem.
The Consultation on People-to-People Exchange is helping us build up the personal connections and shared understanding that will help us prosper together for generations.
(The author is Under Secretary of State of the United States.)
From pursuing clean energy resources to promoting public health, the Chinese and American governments must face the complex challenges of the 21st century together. But cooperation between our governments alone is not enough. Our people must also stand and work shoulder-to-shoulder, as steadfast friends and unhesitating partners.
To encourage this, Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are jointly chairing the second US-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange in Washington, DC, this week.
We established this forum last year in Beijing to highlight the depth and breadth of cooperation between our countries, and to identify ways we can supplement and enhance our existing people-to-people ties.
Ultimately, people-to-people engagement is not a government-to-government function, but governments have an essential role in fostering an open environment for honest and cooperative interactions between our citizens. Any restrictions that deter or diminish opportunities for such interactions threaten our goal of forming lasting bonds through personal exchange.
We need to reduce obstacles to mutual understanding and we need to ensure access to one another's societies. Both countries need to live up to their stated values and both countries must not jeopardize the basic human rights and dignity that are the foundation of people-to-people engagement.
People-to-people connections have taken on a growing importance as our world becomes ever more interdependent. The more we understand about each other, the better able we will be to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and concern. That is why we are encouraging Chinese and American citizens of all ages and professions to be proactive in engaging and getting to know one another.
The Consultation on People-to-People Exchange explores several thematic areas where we can facilitate building connections between people in villages and towns across China and the United States: education, culture, sports, science and technology, and women's issues.
Student ambassadors
Students traveling abroad or participating in educational exchanges play a major role in building mutual understanding and dispelling cultural misperceptions.
Nearly 130,000 students from the People's Republic of China now study at universities and colleges in the United States, more than from any other country in the world. And around 14,000 American students are studying in China.
These student ambassadors live and learn side by side with students from their host country, and their friendships form the foundation for a strong partnership between our nations for years to come.
In order to help provide Chinese students with better information about opportunities to study in the United States, we have recently expanded our "EducationUSA" educational advising office and online presence in China.
And we are working to increase the number of American youth studying in China through the "100,000 Strong Initiative." Over the next four years, we want to see 100,000 US students study in China as part of their education, 10,000 of whom will be aided with bridge scholarships funded by the Chinese government.
Both our governments recognize the value of these educational exchanges and fully support the binational US-China Fulbright Program for American and Chinese students and scholars. This flagship program is an enduring symbol of our shared commitment to cross-cultural learning.
Through the Fulbright and other exchanges, the US government is funding more Americans to study in China than in any other foreign country. But we must do more.
President Obama and President Hu Jintao have both expressed their belief in the importance of people-to-people exchange. The people of China and the United States have much more that unites us than divides us, and the more we can learn about each other, the smaller our differences will seem.
The Consultation on People-to-People Exchange is helping us build up the personal connections and shared understanding that will help us prosper together for generations.
(The author is Under Secretary of State of the United States.)
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