China hat sich zur dominanten Kulturmacht in Asien entwickelt und holt gegenüber den USA in dieser Beziehung allgemein auf, hat der International Herald Tribune herausgefunden (dank an Martin für den Link): In pagoda-style buildings donated by the Chinese government to the university here, Long Seaxiong, 19, stays up nights to master the intricacies of Mandarin. The sacrifice is worth it, he says, and the choice of studying Chinese was an easy one over perfecting his faltering English. China, not America, is the future, he insists, speaking for many of his generation in Asia. "For a few years ahead, it will still be the United States as No.1, but soon it will be China," Long, the son of a Thai businessman, confidently predicted ... "Among some countries, China fever seems to be replacing China fear," said Wang Gungwu, the director of the East Asian Institute at National University in Singapore. Over all, China's stepped up endeavors in cultural suasion remain modest compared with those of the United States, and American popular culture, from Hollywood movies to MTV, is still vastly more exportable and accessible, all agree. The United States also holds the balance of raw military power in the region. But the trend is clear, educators and diplomats here say: The Americans are losing influence.