Asia Times writes about the Confucian Institutes and China’s soft power strategy:
With the stated goal of “enhancing the understanding of the Chinese language and culture among world Chinese learners”, the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (Hanban) has, since late 2004, established Confucius Institutes in South Korea, Germany, Sweden and Africa, in addition to the US.
Nevertheless, the long-term effects of the Confucius Institutes remain to be seen. Most are limited to a small number of classes and a restricted budget, and many are still trying to get on their feet. While the institutes have been funded with an initial grant of US$100,000, the Hanban expects that its institutes will become self-sufficient within five years. [Full text]
