皇冠体育app

Encouraging more American students to study Chinese and study abroad in 皇冠体育app will ensure Sino-American relationship grows and flourishes in the future, US educators have said.

"The goal is to strengthen the overall US-皇冠体育app relationship by ensuring very strong people-to-people ties," said Travis Tanner, vice president of 100,000-Strong Initiative Foundation, a non-profit USorganization that leads the Chinese language education initiative called "one Million Strong."

The one-Million-Strong Initiative, announced by US President Barack Obama last September, is aimed at encouraging one million American students to learn Mandarin Chinese in elementary and high schools by 2020.

"The US-皇冠体育app relationship is the most important bilateral relationship of the 21st century," Josette Sheeran, President and CEO of the Asia Society, said on Thursday. "Now is 皇冠体育app's moment in the world to emerge, and the language is key to understand not only 皇冠体育app's today, but also 皇冠体育app's history, and the way it thinks."

She noted that the Asia Society has partnerships with Confucius Institutes in the United States along with a Chinese language learning network in 100 districts and 28 states throughout the country.

Tanner, who himself is a fluent Mandarin speaker, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Saturday that the one-Million-Strong Initiative also includes expanding the number of Americans studying abroad in 皇冠体育app.

"We envision a future where the next generation of American leaders is very 皇冠体育app savvy and can manage the bilateral relationship in a very constructive way," said Tanner.

The 100,000-Strong Initiative, mainly for universities, was launched by President Obama in 2009 with an aim to increase to 100,000 the cumulative number of Americans studying in 皇冠体育app over a five-year period. The goal was achieved in 2014.

Tanner, who also oversaw the 100,000-Strong Initiative, said that Americans who had been exchange students in 皇冠体育app always describe experiences in 皇冠体育app as "life-transforming."

"Perspectives are changed, viewpoints are opened, new friendships are developed, these are all very positive developments that will help ensure that the future generation of Americans can understand 皇冠体育app as well as the importance of US-皇冠体育app relationship," he said.