Institute brings peoples closer together

MANILA, the Philippines - Every morning for two weeks, Philippine presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda visited the Confucius Institute in downtown Manila to learn Mandarin.

Professor Zhang Shitao used news reports and editorials selected from Chinese newspapers as teaching materials for Lacierda, who was preparing for President Benigno Aquino's visit to China.

Aquino left Beijing for Shanghai after meeting Premier Wen Jiabao and top legislator Wu Bangguo on Thursday in the capital. He is in China for a five-day visit.