From the People's Republic of Chicago

PM Daley checks in with the Middle Kingdom

Among some of the programs planned:

Also Monday, Daley signed an agreement with China's Education Ministry to receive support for the teaching of Mandarin in Chicago's public schools. Chicago in the last few years has built a Chinese language program that now covers 3,500 children in 15 schools. The Chinese government agreed to help set up a teacher training resource center in Chicago and donate 2,000 books a year, said Robert Davis Jr., the Chicago Public School system's Chinese language coordinator."They promise to send delegations over throughout the year with experts in teaching Chinese so they can train our teachers with newer methods of learning," Davis said. It's good for business on the Chicago side, Davis said, because speaking Chinese will become more important for Chicago-based companies. Mayor Daley agreed. "It's extremely important in this century to learn English and Chinese," he said. "It is imperative that our city lead the effort, which we are."

And what's next for 2005? City Hall to be renamed "The Politburo".