Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, wants to know why China has 60 cultural centers in the United States while the United States has none in China. Lugar questioned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about the disparity a couple months ago, as reported by the Washington Times:

“The Chinese, according to our records, have now established 60 Confucius centers here in the United States, but they are permitting only four of our centers to be built in China,” Mr. Lugar told Mrs. Clinton. “So I call this to your attention for some potential negotiations with [our] Chinese friends, as we try to extend this idea of diplomacy centers, which I think is important.”
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Judith McHale, undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, testified last week before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Her comments included an expansive view of diplomacy, which is highlighted in her blog post on the State Department’s DipNote:

Diplomacy doesn
’t just happen between government diplomats. Diplomacy happens when a foreign student learns a new English saying from an American friend at one of our universities. Diplomacy happens when scientists from different cultures work together to discover solutions for common, global problems. Diplomacy happens when ordinary people around the world go online to urge their friends and acquaintances to donate to disaster relief to selflessly help strangers in a far-off country.
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