International education and exchange are vital to U.S. diplomacy and allow students to acquire valuable skills and become leaders in their respective professions, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Evan Ryan told The PIE News in a recent interview.
A newly formed Congressional International Exchange and Study Caucus aims to “raise awareness of the importance of international exchange and study programs in the United States and around the world,” according to a press release from U.S. Representatives Steve Pearce (R-NM) and Jim Himes (D-CT).
First Lady Michelle Obama called young Americans “the best ambassadors that we have” in her remarks at the panda-naming ceremony at the National Zoo last week. The ceremony was part of the recent state visit of Chinese President Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan to Washington, D.C.
President Obama and Chinese President Xi aim to have one million American students studying Mandarin by 2020, according to a joint announcement made during President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to the U.S.
Explaining the importance of the new initiative, President Obama noted the role language plays in U.S.-China relations:
During his visit to Tacoma, Washington, earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping invited 100 American students from a local high school to study in China next year, The News Tribune reports.
The U.S. government should double the number of participants in the Department of State’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program, according to a The Hill blog post by former U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Richard LeBaron.