U.S.-China CPE Cooperation on the 100,000 Strong Initiative

On April 12, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong hailed the importance of people-to-people engagement during the second annual U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE). The CPE aims to enhance and strengthen ties between the citizens of the United States and China in the areas of education, culture, sports, science and technology, and women’s issues.

In January 2011, on the occasion of the State Visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Washington, First Lady Michelle Obama announced $3.25 million in private-sector support for the 100,000 Strong Initiative, including major pledges by Caterpillar, Citigroup and Coca-Cola, among others. Today, Secretary Clinton and State Councilor Liu reported concrete progress on the Initiative, including additional scholarships from the Chinese government and more than $3 million in new private-sector support:

• New Chinese Scholarships: Last year, the Chinese government pledged 10,000 “Bridge Scholarships” for U.S. high school and college students, teachers, and school administrators to go to China over the next four years. Today, State Councilor Liu announced an additional 10,000 scholarships for Americans to study in China.
  
• Launch of 100,000 Strong Advisory Committee: Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and former Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) have agreed to co-chair a bipartisan Advisory Committee to provide guidance to the Department of State on the Initiative. The inaugural meeting of the Committee will take place in May 2011 in Washington, D.C.
  
• Major Gift from Laureate International Universities: Laureate has announced a $1 million contribution and a four-year commitment to enroll 1,000 U.S. students to study abroad in China. The support will be provided through Laureate’s university network, the world’s largest international consortium of universities. Resources will also be made available to students who have been historically underrepresented in study abroad programs, a central objective of the Initiative.
  
• Expansion of Teach for China: A generous contribution by Goldman Sachs will help Teach For China (TFC), formerly the China Education Initiative, place 500 outstanding American college graduates as English teachers in some of China’s neediest school communities over the next three years. TFC has also independently received $1.6 million in new funding from the Li Ka Shing Foundation to enable its expansion.
  
• Scholarships for Western Michigan Students: Amway Corporation has agreed to sponsor scholarships at public and private institutions of higher learning in Western Michigan and is encouraging other major employers in the region to set up their own scholarships for study abroad in China.
  
• Matching Grant for Chicago Public Schools: Inspired by Motorola Solutions Foundation’s support to the Chicago Public School System (CPS), Wanxiang America Corporation, an automotive and industrial parts company, has independently offered a matching grant of more than $100,000 to CPS.

The United States and China are cooperating closely to achieve the goals of the 100,000 Strong Initiative: to increase dramatically the number, and diversify the composition, of American students studying in China as a means to enhance people-to-people ties between our two nations.