The Chinese consul-general for Houston, Xu Erwen, recently visited former US president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, at Carter's hometown in Plains, Georgia. Xu thanked Carter for his invitation and applauded his significant contributions to the development of China-US relations. Carter established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China 34 years ago, and the former president has been to China many times since he left office.

Recently appointed Italian Ambassador Alberto Bradanini led a delegation of Italian officials on a visit to the EU's SME Centre in Beijing during a busy weeklong tour just before the Spring Festival holiday break. Since 2010, the center has provided hands-on support for small and medium enterprises from the EU, helping them to bring products and services to the Chinese market.

Marking the 49th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and China, East China Normal University in Shanghai launched a French edition of its website.

Founded in 1950, ECNU was the first teaching university of the People's Republic of China and remains a key national universities. "With a renowned French department," the French embassy in Beijing says on its website, ECNU has established several ongoing projects with institutions of higher learning in French, including a training program for Shanghai master's and doctoral students' in social sciences and humanities. A total of 286 aspiring researchers were trained and 96 doctoral students were able to continue their studies in France.

The Royal Danish Consulate General in Guangzhou is temporarily closed due to technical issues, the Danish embassy in Beijing announced. Visa applicants will take longer to process since they will be forwarded to Beijing. The embassy said processing time can be reduced if applicants choose delivery by EMS (directly from Beijing).

Two Chinese visitors to the Netherlands recently told Dutch Ambassador to China Aart Jacobi that they are "very impressed" with the atmosphere of cooperation, efficiency and professionalism that they experience during a visit to Dutch sports facilities and teams.

Wang Xinluo is from the national coaching program of the Chinese Football Association, and Chen Luyi is on staff at the General Administration of Sports. The Dutch Visitors Program was organized for a fourth year and included guests from several countries.

Wang and Chen visited the Royal Dutch Football Association and several famous Dutch soccer clubs, and they joined one of the December trip's organizers at home for a traditional Saint Nicholas celebration.

The embassy of Indonesia was celebrating the inclusion of one of the country's traditional dance troupes at the recent Lunar New Year celebration at the National Center for the Performing Arts. The Sanggar Indonesia troupe (pictured) performed a dynamic Yapong dance for the 2013 Spring Festival, mesmerizing an audience of about 500 with its cheerful music and dance moves.

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