China has been touted as the rising global power in the east and is often pitted against United States. But, it is necessary for the current and potential global powers to maintain a harmonious relationship to prevent any unrest in their respective regions.

For that purpose, U.S. State Department is collaborating with the higher education institutes in the country to help establish cultural centers.

As part of its mission, the Southern Utah University has been selected by the department as one among the ten universities to receive a grant to establish an American Cultural Center in China, announced university officials Tuesday.

The center will be a joint project by SUU and Hunan Normal University and will be housed on HNU's campus in Changsha, China.

The main aim of the American Cultural Center of Changsha is to foster understanding of American culture, history, values, policies and institutions by students, faculty and local community members. Through the center, the U.S. Government wishes to convey goodwill of American people to the Chinese population.

"It's so important to inform the younger generation of Chinese, especially college students, about American culture, the U.S. political system and democratic institutions. This center will create a path toward more discussion and less conflict between the U.S. and China," SUU Music Professor Xun Sun, who is originally from China.

The American Cultural Center of Changsha (ACCC) has plans to conduct weekly activities including lectures, service projects, book clubs, film screenings and English language tutoring sessions on a designated theme of the month. The themes will range from U.S. geography, history, government, economy, business to law, culture, women's rights and education.

Instructional references will include classic American novels, poetry, films, documentaries, social media and a dedicated ACCC website with an Information Resource Center will be put up to help the students.

The ACCC will also sponsor events such as an annual conference, U.S. holiday celebrations and provide resources and instruction by SUU professors and students in both live meetings and online.

All of the activities, instruction and resources will be coordinated by both the universities.

The center is expected to begin its activities by March, 2013.