I have called this Confucius Institutes #1 because I am sure there will be much, much more to say here given the attention these Insitutes are receiving. I have yet to be convinced of the CIs, either in terms of source (their close relationship with the Chinese government makes throws some doubt on their credibility) or in terms of audience (is there any evidence of their success? Are they having any influence beyond the developing world?). I think it is still too early for me to make any sound conclusions on this but will continue to try to discover more. Every year at least one of my MA students writes a dissertation about the CIs, which gives me an opportunity to learn more about them.
But I have just come across this story on Xinhua's website 'Senior CPC official urges Confucius Institute to contribute to China-Armenia friendship' (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-04/12/c_13824072.htm). What you may not know when you read this article is that not only is Li a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, he is also the Party's propaganda chief ....
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