12/11/2010

Wen seeks to win Indians with Tagore, tai-chi, calligraphy

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) In a bid to improve the public image of China that has taken a beating in recent months due to Beijing's diplomatic postures, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will visit a school in the Indian capital when he comes here next week to project the country's soft power to the younger generation.

Wen will begin his three-day trip to India with a visit to the Tagore International School at Vasant Vihar Dec 15. He will informally interact with schoolchildren where he is expected to tell them about Chinese culture, tai-chi and calligraphy, informed sources told IANS.

 He is also expected to announce at the school about China's decision to provide textual and audio-visual material to Indian schools to help teach Mandarin, a proposal floated by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal when he visited China recently. He is also likely to declare that China was ready to send teachers to teach Mandarin to India if India wanted, said the sources.

 The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has already announced plans to introduce Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language in its 11,000 affiliated schools from Class 6 onwards next year.

 Tagore School has an ongoing exchange programme with a Chinese school whereby Indian teachers impart lessons to Chinese students in yoga through videoconferencing and Chinese teachers teach Indian students about calligraphy.

 During Wen's visit, his second to the country, the two sides will focus on ironing out a host of irritants that has clouded bilateral ties like stapled visas for Indian citizens of Jammu and Kashmir and Beijing's massive investment in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir that New Delhi sees as an inimical move.

Read more at  sify

Dec 11, 2010 10:08:13 AM | Culture, Current Affairs

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