The rise of China
presents new economic, political and social realities that demand greater
U.S. engagement at every level. We urgently need more Americans to have a
functional proficiency in Chinese.
Between 1978 and 2002,
China's annual GDP growth reached 9.4%, three times the world's average. In
recent years (2001-2004), China accounted for one-third of global economic
growth. In 2004 alone, U.S. trade with China exceeded $245 billion.
China’s political importance in the Asia-Pacific
region is broadly acknowledged, and collaboration with China is increasingly
deemed essential for solving a range of global issues, from nuclear
proliferation to the environment, from currency exchange to trade laws.
As the world’s most
enduring civilization, China has a major international cultural presence –
in literature and cuisine, in music and film, in dance and art, in religion
and philosophy.
Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in
the world, and will exceed English as the most-used language on the Internet
by 2007, according to forecasts by the World Intellectual Property
Organization.
Get a leg up in this international world by enrolling in the JING Chinese Language Class!
