江南山鎮Over the last 21 years, South Korean teacher Cho Sung-hye has contributed much to the friendship between the people of her country and China

傳統市場驗迎新春Dozens of universities are located here, including the University of Science and Technology of China, one of the country's best," she said引關注創Before they became major officials, dozens of years should have passed and they should have collected enough experience to tackle seemingly tough problems

新民族體In 1998, when she was back in her hometown, Cho delivered a three-hour speech to 82 heads of primary schools, trying to persuade them to offer Chinese courses江南山鎮A teacher of Korean at Hefei University in Anhui province, Cho has helped to boost the two countries' ties in multiple aspects - not just in education傳統市場驗迎新春The couple found employment quickly at Hefei University and began teaching Korean the next year引關注創cn  Cho Sung-hye talks with her students at Hefei University in Anhui province新民族體The latest example was a 2016 donation of 20,000 yuan ($3,000) to four high school graduates in Hefei's Feidong county who had been enrolled at universities but were about to give up for lack of money

江南山鎮What is your impression of President Xi Jinping? I think he is a determined man傳統市場驗迎新春After finishing middle school and high school studies in the city, Cho's elder son was admitted to Peking University for undergraduate studies, and then returned to Hefei later for his MBA at the University of Science and Technology of China引關注創In 2010, she was listed as one of the most influential women of the century in Hefei

新民族體Officials should all start from basic positions and get promotions gradually江南山鎮Half a year later, Park returned to Hefei University and has been there ever since傳統市場驗迎新春"In the early years, transportation between Hefei and South Korea was not convenient引關注創"In the five years since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China has invested more than ever before in poverty relief, and President Xi Jinping has vowed to eliminate poverty by 2020," Cho noted

Some of the South Korean companies based in the two zones, the largest in the province, were attracted through Cho's effortsThe boy - a great fan of Chinese history who was able to give the names of more than 900 figures in the Chinese classic Romance of Three Kingdoms - was inspired and wanted very much to follow the suggestion

Do you believe that some of China's experiences or practices could be used to solve pressing global problems? If so, what are they? China has a very mature and comprehensive system to foster leadershipWhat three words would you use to describe China today? Revitalizing, changing, confidentCho said the number of the poverty-stricken students is declining, and they can now get more financial support from the government, rather than relying on occasional social donationsIt's hard to make long-term predictions, but I hope China can keep its own development pace and have its own development patterns

China is a big country, so officials have to collaborate with each other well" Cho and her husband have also donated hundreds of thousands of yuan to help prevent the children of poverty-stricken rural families in Anhui from dropping out of schoolAlso, Xi has been very good at choosing the right people to work with himI became the first South Korean person to receive the Chinese Central Government's Friendship Award in 2002 and the first from my country to get permanent residency in China in 2006

She herself knew little of the province or its capital at that time, so she decided to have a look before taking her family there"On the visit to Hefei, I found it was not very developed but thought it would have great potential

For the last five years, the air has been clearing up"I told him that we had just started here and we should at least spend five years in the city before judging whether we should move to another place," Cho said

First, China is playing an increasingly important role in the world, so some neighboring countries, and especially some developed Western countries may regard China as a challenger to the power they have maintained for many yearsSome of China's practices are also worth learning, such as how it trains its officialsShe is now helping the development area build a China-South Korea Industry Park, and she has already brought in three South Korean companies to invest in the city's high-tech zoneWhat is your impression of President Xi Jinping? I think he is a determined manAfter finishing middle school and high school studies in the city, Cho's elder son was admitted to Peking University for undergraduate studies, and then returned to Hefei later for his MBA at the University of Science and Technology of ChinaThe Obama administration had done everything it could to internationalize the South China Sea issue and had used the Philippines, a US ally, to advance the American strategy

However, the Pew survey finds that Duterte and his policies are widely popular at home despite concerns expressed by some governments, in particular the US, over Duterte's clashes with drug cartels and alleged human rights violationsA quarter now name China as the world's leading economy, up from 14 percent the last time the Philippines was surveyed

At the same time, 78 percent believe the current economic situation is good, and 57 percent are satisfied with the direction of the country, a 21 percentage-point increase from 2014, the last time this question was asked in the PhilippinesAnd despite the Philippines being the most pro-Trump nation in Pew's spring 37-country survey, confidence in Trump now is lower than it was in then-President Barack Obama in 2015

The Philippines under Duterte has tried to develop an independent foreign policy rather than being a US puppet most of the timeSince becoming Philippines president in June 2016, Rodrigo Duterte has refused to be used by the US to advance its strategy

That was certainly not the policy under Obama when he launched the US pivot-to-Asia policy, trying to gang up US allies on ChinaAnd on global economic status, about half of Filipinos (49 percent) say that the US is still the leading economic power, but that is down from 66 percent who said so in 2015The survey released on Sept 21 bore a title saying people in the Philippines still favor the United States over China, but that the gap is narrowingThis represents a dramatic shift since that question was last asked in 2015

Such an independent policy is dealing a heavy blow to those who still view the relationship between the three countries as zero-sumSome even believe that he would not able to serve the full six-year term

And overall, the perception gap between the US and China in the Philippines is narrowingIt clearly suggests that one's gain is another's loss

Meanwhile, two-thirds say having a strong economic relationship with China is more important for ties between the two nations, while only 28 percent say being tough with China on territorial disputes is more vitalHis tough rhetoric on the US and softened rhetoric on China, especially compared with his predecessor Aquino III, has worried many in the US

The report finds that people in the Philippines still like the US and have confidence in its leader, President Donald TrumpThe US was believed to be fully behind the scenes when the Philippines, under President Benigno Aquino III, filed the arbitration suit in 2013 against China in a tribunal in The Hague, a case in which China had refused to participateBy comparing these figures, Pew seems to suggest that China and the US are engaging in a popularity contest in the PhilippinesA zero-sum mentality about China-US relations is reflected not only in the thinking of some US politicians, but also in a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center

According to the survey, 78 percent in the Philippines have a positive view of the US as of this spring, down from 92 percent who expressed positive sentiments in 2015The US government, lawmakers and pundits have generally expressed negative views of Duterte since he took office last June

But Filipinos also share positive views of China and its leader, President Xi JinpingFully 86 percent have a favorable view of Duterte himself; 78 percent support his handling of the illegal-drugs issue; and 62 percent say that the Philippines government is making progress in its anti-drug campaign

In 2014, the Philippines was still led by Aquino IIIBut the Philippines, and indeed all the countries in the region, should be encouraged to have good relations with both China and the US, a real win-win situation for not just the three countries involved, but for the region and the world