A food safety factory shutdown has Americans hunting for baby formula. Readying themselves for a covid-19 lockdown, Chinese in Beijing emptied store shelves. Emerging from lockdown, some in Shanghai are visiting well-provisioned markets. U.S.-China agricultural trade is booming, but many are still being left hungry. Food security, sustainability and safety remain issues.
Under Secretary Tara Sonenshine on China's Public Diplomacy, March 13, 2013
Host Carol Castiel and VOA State Department Correspondent Scott Stearns interview Tara Sonenshine, the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
In a wide-ranging interview, Sonenshine speaks about the role of public diplomacy and what the U.S. is doing to compete with China's growing soft power, particularly in Africa. Sonenshine advocated the United States stepping up its game as she believes there is beginning to be a growing Chinese influence. She attributes this problem to lack of sufficient English culture and language learning institutes. She recognized that there is value in the Confucius institutes that teach Chinese around United States, but she argued that English teaching needs to increase in other parts of the world for the United States to maintain its "power".
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