This is an interesting, long interview on Chinese TV with Governor Kitzhaber and Co-Speaker Bruce Hanna. Blogging about it, Curtis Robinhold, Chief of staff to Gov. John Kitzhaber, wrote (here):
After arriving at the CCTV studio – China’s national television station – the Governor met Oregon Co-Speaker of the House Bruce Hanna, and entered the studio of the Charlie Rose of China. The interview show, called "Dialogue," is broadcast to over 100 countries, and is essentially a half-hour discussion of one primary issue.
The host focused on international trade, and Oregon’s role in the national trade debate. The Governor and Speaker Hanna did a great job at focusing the discussion on how to help create jobs and investment in Oregon, and not on the China vs US debate. The two of them did a great job, and genuinely seemed to enjoy the verbal sparring with their Chinese host.
Three thoughts:
(1) The interviewer Yang Rui, for all his rambling and pointed comments before questions, asked hard, big questions. In Oregon, much of such public questioning by our press asks narrow, very political insider, and often easy, expected questions. It was refreshing to see something different. Both of Oregon’s leaders answered questions well. It was much more interesting and informative.
When will the Oregon press ask probing questions about our failure to expand Mandarin immersion programs or send high school students to China?
(2) From the comments of both Oregon leaders, Oregon is clearly open to Chinese investment and business.
(3) Both Oregon leaders referred to the Confucius Institutes as if Oregon were doing a lot with Mandarin education. Oregon is not. Oregon now, through the Confucius Institutes, does bring Chinese Mandarin teachers to Oregon at very reduced costs. It costs Oregon nothing. So there are more Mandarin teachers than five year ago. But I’d guess that less than twenty teachers have come in the past two years. Oregon is not putting any of its own resources into Mandarin education. Oregon is not expanding its Mandarin immersion programs (unlike Utah, which is) and is not paying to send high school students to study abroad in China. The last session of the legislature failed to pass a cost neutral bill shifting $30,000 to pay for sending five Oregon high school students to China for a school year. There is much more that Oregon needs to do.
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