These past few weeks have been both incredibly eventful and hectic for China. First of all, over 10 million students took the Gao Kao college entrance exam this past week, competing for 6.57 million spots in China`s national university system. In Beijing and Shanghai, officials went so far as to restrict overnight construction and reroute bus lines around school locations. On a somber note, three Chinese students committed suicide during the exam in separate occurrences in Hubei and Jiangsu; however, this follows a pattern that unfortunately occurs year after year.
On a more positive note, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit took place this week in Beijing, addressing issues of both security and economic cooperation. Two of the main goals of the summit were to find solutions to reduce drug traffic problems in Afghanistan and unearth ways to curb civil violence in Afghanistan. Also, in the hopes of fostering cooperation with additional countries, summit organizers plan to implement new regulations for membership.
In other progressive news, an elementary school in Mexico is introducing its students to the study of Mandarin for the first time. Pedro Gracia Rojas School hopes that by teaching its students Mandarin, it will enable students to become more competitive in today`s highly globalized society. In addition, officials are optimistic that exposing their younger generation to Mandarin will help to encourage more Chinese businesses to invest in their city.
Also, we cannot forget the shootings of three Chinese nationals at the North Korea-China border which occured last week. The three that were killed and one wounded were mistakenly thought to be smuggling goods across the border. This event has put an increased strain on North Korea-China relations, particularly following the sinking of the South Korean Cheonan by a North Korean submarine. Read more about China`s economy, politics and other current events in the Daily Updates section of our website.
At US-China Today, we just published two new multimedia pieces: a beautiful photo series featuring Yunnan and Guangxi Province contributed by staff member Justin Deschaine, and a multimedia piece featuring two interactive maps on Confucius Institutes in the United States by one of our deputy multimedia editors, Michael Chiu. We invite you to enjoy the grand, hidden beauty of the landscapes captured in the photo series, as well as to explore the multimedia maps depicting how Confucius Institutes have rapidly increased throughout the U.S. and formed partnerships with numerous, highly respected Chinese universities. Find out about this and other news at our website.
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