"I learned a lot from China's development. Some ideas, from my experience, I can't accept. But I think they are really sincere and frank," added Williams. "Sometimes, if they don't have a definite answer, like on the future of the birth-control (family planning) policy, they just come clean," he said. "The fact that a reporter can come to the class and do interviews is also an indication of the open atmosphere."

But it's impossible for the cadre-training academy to be the same as a college where scholarly opinions are more diverse. "We must be politically correct," Jiang said.

As for some highly controversial issues such as border disputes, the lecturers must be more discreet. The principle when dealing with such issues is to "explain the stance, but not to argue". "That's why you won't find any maps on the wall," Jiang explained.

The larger picture

On the morning of June 13, Liu Genfa, who delivers the General Review of China lecture, arrived at the class early and took the initiative to introduce himself to every participant with a big smile. He also tried his best to greet every participant in their mother tongue, even though the courses are conducted in English.

With seven years' experience of working in China's embassies in Baghdad and the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, Liu said that what counts when communicating with foreigners is not just what you talk about but also the way you deliver your message. "A poker face doesn't work. Plain theory doesn't work. You have to learn to be a storyteller," he said. "Otherwise, Chinese people won't listen, let alone foreigners."

If anything is taboo during the lectures, it is to display arrogance, he said. "We never call it training, instead we say seminars or exchange programs. There is no such relationship as teacher and student, or trainer and trainee. All the foreign officials are called participants," said Liu.

"We are not here to brag about our achievements or set an example to follow. We share our experiences and others can choose the parts that can be applied to their own situation. We also talk about the mistakes China has made so other countries can avoid making the same mistakes in the future."

That approach impressed Boris Mugosa, who advises the deputy prime minister of Montenegro on economic policy and financial systems: "We are here to share, not to agree with everything. That's not the point. Here, we hear many things and learn different approaches. I can't say this approach is better and that approach is worse. I try to understand the positive side of each," he said.

"When people talk about their countries, they always tend to talk about the positive things. But here the lecturers like to talk about problems, such as regional differences, which is also a problem in my country," said Mugosa.

Apart from the on-campus lectures and discussions, the curriculum includes field trips which the CELAP staff members refer to as "living case studies". For example, the 27 participants of the infrastructure seminar visited the site of the Shanghai Expo, an underground shopping mall and a sewage treatment plant. They also spent three days in Qinhuangdao, a third-tier city in Hebei province, and visited some small towns and rural areas.

"We always keep it in mind that Shanghai can't give the whole picture of China. It is a just a part of it, but a very fine part," said Zhu Yuan, an associate professor of urban economics.

"We try to show the different sides of the country. Once, we even went to a mountainous area in Sichuan province. People live a hard life there and that (the visit) left a strong impression on them."

The lecturers also have to avoid using some terms that Chinese people may take for granted, such as "Scientific Outlook on Development", he said. "What does it mean exactly? It's better to explain it in a very simple and clear way. Or it makes no sense to them."