More than 400 primary and middle school headmasters from 42 states of the United States are paying a visit to China from June 28 to July 1 to gain a better understanding of the Chinese culture and how to promote Chinese language teaching.

Chinese Minister of Education Zhou Ji on Friday held a welcoming ceremony for the U.S. guests at the Great Hall of the People, saying the exchange activity, dubbed "Chinese Bridge for American Schools", will help teaching staff from both countries to meet each other and strengthen cooperation in the future.

"Under the inevitable sway of economic globalization this century, we educators have a responsibility to broaden and extend the scope of China-U.S. exchange and cooperation by instilling in the younger generations a proficiency in our own language and culture and a good understanding of the language and culture of other countries," Zhou said.

He said that the Chinese government attached great importance to foreign language education, with pupils starting to learn English from the third year at primary schools. Statistics show that currently more than 200 million Chinese people are learning a foreign language.

"Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world," Zhou said. With sustainable economic growth and further opening-up policies, China has established far-reaching relations with the outside world. More people have turned their eyes to China, and Mandarin learning has become the latest fashion. Thirty million people worldwide are learning Chinese? and more than 2,500 universities in 100 countries and regions run Chinese courses. Out of 3,000 U.S. universities, nearly 800 have set up courses in Chinese.

"The development of Chinese in U.S. schools will not only help U.S. youngsters learn about the Chinese culture, but also lay good foundations for friendship between young people of the two countries," Zhou added.

The National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOTCFL) in China and the College Board in the United States jointly sponsored the exchange activity.

An official with the NOTCFL revealed that the program would continue over the next five years and invite 600 U.S. delegates every year to China.

"We will also send Chinese teachers to teach in the United States, develop relevant scholarships and teaching materials, and conduct training programs," the official said.?

(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2006)