With China's growing power and influence on the global stage, efforts are burgeoning to promote teaching the official Chinese language in U.S. schools. And while those activities are getting help from a variety of sources--including the U.S. government--one key player taking an increased role is the Chinese government itself. Just this year, the Office of Chinese Language Council International--or Hanban, an affiliate of China's Ministry of Education--committed millions of dollars to help launch several ventures with U.S. schools, including a program in North Carolina to offer Mandarin Chinese classes in 45 public schools and the development of a national network of 100 "exemplary" Chinese-language programs at the K-12 level. Experts on foreign-language instruction say there's a long history of governments' promoting the study of their language and culture in this country, including with support for public schools and educators here. Shuhan C. Wang, the deputy director of the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland College Park, said a key motive for China's government is to promote Mandarin Chinese as a "global language," and thereby enhance the country's stature in the world.