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China expands U.S. language sites

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The Associated Press

Published: November 2, 2009

TAMPA - In a small room at the University of South Florida, Maya Ueda and two classmates prepare for a Mandarin exam. A pot of green tea idles nearby and Chinese folk instruments, games and movies fill the cabinets.

Although the students are at a state school, the center where they study is part of China's Confucius Institute outreach effort.

The cultural and language centers have arisen worldwide at universities eager to boost Mandarin offerings as China's economic influence grows.

The Confucius Institute at USF is one of nearly 60 such centers in the United States and 396 in 87 countries. They fill language instruction needs at a time when many universities face budget cuts. Most receive initial funding and faculty from China.

Ueda, 23, a psychology major, plans a business career. Many companies she is interested in require fluency in at least one Asian language. She thinks a firm grasp of Mandarin will help her.

"By understanding that language and culture, I'll be able to interact with Chinese business people," Ueda said. "I think that will definitely expand my career opportunities."

China observers see the Confucius Institutes as part of the nation's efforts to reshape its image from that of a threatening superpower. Such displays of "soft power" are hardly new, though analysts say the Confucius Institutes are unique in the close relationships they establish with universities.

The arrangement raises concerns about whether cozying up with China and its communist government interferes with academic freedom.

The University of Pennsylvania never applied to host an institute, nor did China ask it to, said G. Cameron Hurst III, former director of Penn's Center for East Asian Studies. "There was a general feeling that it was not an appropriate thing for us to do," he said.

Others say the institutes are not a threat to academic integrity.

Demand for Mandarin classes is growing. The Chinese Ministry of Education says about 40,000 foreign students travel to take classes in China each year. Courses are popping up in U.S. schools, starting as early as kindergarten.

A Modern Language Association of America study in 2007 found enrollment in Chinese language courses at U.S. colleges rose 51 percent between 2002 and 2006 to 51,000.

Finding qualified Mandarin teachers is a struggle. It is a difficult language for many nonnative speakers. A word's meaning can change depending on the tone in which it is pronounced. Sentence structure differs considerably from English and other European languages.

Maria Crummett, USF dean of international affairs, likened the institutes to "people-to-people diplomacy. This is not about diplomacy at the highest levels. This is about faculty, students, staff, administrators, the community."

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