Relations benefit from increasing cooperation

Learning more about China in Germans' economic interest

Germany needs to strengthen cooperation with China and increase its understanding of the country, as the German government has realized that China has growing importance and international influence, its officials said in Berlin earlier this month.

The Mercator Institute for China Studies, also known as MERICS, released a report on China at an experts meeting in Berlin on May 7. The report said that China is playing an increasingly important role in dealing with global challenges such as climate change, globalization and technological innovation.

The report introduced the concept of China expertise, which covers language skills, multicultural awareness and basic knowledge of China's politics, economics, history and various social sectors.

China has made great progress in science and technology and its enterprises have acquired a number of German companies. The trends require Germany to know China better, German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung quoted Georg Schuette, state secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, as saying.

The report found that about 5,000 high school and vocational school students across Germany choose to study Mandarin annually, while the number of university students majoring in Chinese and related studies in Germany has declined.

The report noted that there are diverse causes of the situation, including biased perceptions due to negative media coverage and difficulties in learning Mandarin.

German people need to increase their understanding of China and improve their intercultural communication skills. The best approach is to live and work in China for a period of time, study Mandarin and keep in touch with China, according to the report.

Helmut Holter, head of the Conference of Ministers of Education, said that educational organizations can help people to gain a better understanding of China.

Communication and exchanges between students, teachers and researchers in the two countries serve as the cornerstone of enhanced understanding and mutual trust, Holter said.

Schuette added that Germany needs more people who have learned about China and can communicate with their Chinese partners, to tell Germans where China's interest and stake is and, in turn, let Chinese people know what Germans want.

His ministry, also known as BMBF, announced a China strategy for cooperation in science and research in 2015 - its first strategic framework for a specific country.

The strategy provides the basis for cooperation between the two countries in research, science and education from 2015-20. Its aim is to ensure success and mutual profit from collaboration in research and education, according to the BMBF.

The German education department is encouraging young people to study in China, Schuette said. One of its proposals is to set up a double-degree system for university students to obtain academic qualifications in both China and Germany, which can be recognized by both sides, he added.

Angela Krill de Capello, an educational official in Germany, told the Voice of Germany that the authorities in various states will consider the proposals, including increasing China-related sections in geographic and historical textbooks.

Authors of the MERICS report suggested that Germany promote Mandarin as a second foreign language in middle schools, provide refresher courses for middle school teachers and strengthen their overall training in Mandarin.

According to the report, there are 19 Confucius Institutes in Germany with more planned for the future.

caoyingying@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/25/2018 page5)