Arlington senator joins visit to China

Published 10:42 pm Friday, June 22, 2007

OLYMPIA – Republican State Sen. Val Stevens of Arlington journeys to China today, where she’ll get a good dose of its culture and a close look at its schools.

“It is going to be a real learning experience to say the least,” Stevens said.

Stevens and 10 other legislators will spend nine days in China as guests of Hanban, the government’s official agency for developing cultural and educational ties with other countries.

Their itinerary includes visits to a university and attending classes at different schools in and around Beijing.

No tax dollars will pay for the trip. Hanban will pick up a large portion of the costs; Stevens said she’ll pay about $750 for the trip. Lawmakers will not receive per diem.

State Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, is leading the delegation. She’s hoping this excursion boosts support for increasing Chinese language instruction in public schools.

“China has rapidly become a competitor in the global economy,” Roach stated in an announcement of the trip issued earlier this month. “Emphasizing certain foreign languages will help us in Asian countries where we trade. The Chinese language should be one of them.”

Roach introduced a bill last session for a pilot program to teach Chinese in two school districts.

Stevens voted for the measure when it cleared the Senate. The bill died in the House of Representatives. Roach intends to try again in 2008.

“We definitely need to offer Chinese like other languages,” Stevens said.

Hanban is in the business of providing teachers, materials and even proficiency tests for such instruction.

Its mission is spreading China’s culture and language through partnerships with communities and colleges around the world. One primary means is through its Confucius institutes. Institutes now operate in 15 states, including at Portland State University in Oregon and in British Columbia.

The trip will not be all work.

Stevens said she is bringing a comfortable pair of shoes for walking in Beijing and on a university campus in Xi’an.

“I’m anxious to learn about the culture firsthand,” she said. “We have a lot of products from China, but we really don’t know a lot about China and its people.”

Her participation on the trip might surprise some, as she is strongly opposed to communism.

“It did cross my mind,” Stevens said. “The Republic of China in the past has been seen as an enemy. We have overcome that.”

Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.