  |  
 
 | A woman finds quiet solitude from 
 the balcony atop Beijing's Drum Tower to practice her oral 
 English. China is casting such a huge shadow on the United 
 States that many Americans are scrambling to learn the Chinese 
 language in a bid to retain their competitive 
 edge.(AFP) |    |   
 China is casting such a huge shadow on the United 
 States that many Americans are scrambling to learn the Chinese language in 
 a bid to retain their competitive edge. 
  "Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents 
 has grown dramatically in the past five years," said Vivien Stewart, vice 
 president at the Asia Society, a US group trying to bridge the gap between 
 Americans and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific.
  China's dramatic rise to near superpower status and its telling effects politically, 
 economically and culturally are driving the interest to learn the 
 language, experts say.
  From kindergartens to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, 
 there is a "rapid rise" in interest among pupils to study the Chinese 
 language.
  "The Chinese rich cultural traditions and blossoming economy mean that 
 is now essential for all of our students to be better prepared to engage 
 them and seize opportunities together," said Michael Levine, Asia 
 Society's executive director of education.
  A 2004 College Board survey found that 2,400 high schools -- an 
 incredibly high number -- would be interested in offering the Advanced 
 Placement (AP) courses in Chinese language and culture when the courses 
 become available in 2006.
  China, the world's most populous nation, is critical to the United 
 States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor. Its 
 political influence is also rising across the globe.
  It has replaced the United States as the world's largest consumer and 
 could become the second largest economy in the world, after the United 
 States, in the next two to three decades.
  America's huge budget deficit, economists say, is being bankrolled by 
 China to the tune of one 
 billion dollars per day through its purchase of US Treasury bills -- 200 
 billion dollars last year and possibly as much as 300 billion dollars 
 already this year.
  Even though the US State Department has designated the Chinese language 
 "critical" to national prosperity and security, the "current 
 infrastructure to support recruitment of students and teachers as well as 
 the growth of high quality programs is woefully inadequate," an Asia 
 Society study says.
  The Society has set a target of having at least five percent of 
 American high school students learning Chinese by 2015.
  "Millions of Chinese are learning English, but only 24,000 Americans 
 are learning Chinese," said Andrew Corcoran of the San Francisco-based 
 Chinese American International School, the oldest Mandarin "immersion" 
 program in the country.
   The most popular languages after English 
 in US schools at present are Spanish and French. Japanese is the most-sought-after Asian 
 language.   
  (Agencies)  | 
 
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