Chinese officials announced December 5 that they would spend nearly $700, 000 to create an Advanced Placement Chinese language and culture test for U.S. high schools. Chinese Ambassador to the United States Yang Jiechi and College Board President Gaston Caperton welcomed the Chinese investment as good for both countries. "
The $1.37 million cost of developing the equivalent of a college-level third year course and exam in Chinese for high school students will be split equally between the Chinese government grant and private foundations, Caperton said.
The majority of students in communist China study English, but only 50, 000 American students study Chinese, a College Board statement said. It contrasted that small number learning a language spoken by 1.5 billion people with the 1 million American students who study French, the native language of only 70 million people. (Source: Jay Mathews, Washington Post; San Francisco Chronicle, Dec, 6, 2003; supplied by Guy M. Wong).