Chang Mai straddles one of Asia's great crossroads - a southern spur of the Silk Road - fusing commerce and culture between points farther north and west in modern-day China, Laos and Myanmar.

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Knowledge of the language is kept up mainly by people like him who belong to the Xibo people from China's far north-west.

ECONOMIST: One hundred years on, only a few native speakers remain

Mortenson claims that he has educated over 60, 000 of young children and mostly girls and built over 170 schools in Karakoram -the north west of Pakistan and the Wakhan valley of Afghanistan near the Russia and China border during the last 17 years.

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The broader message behind this point-scoring may have been that the West needs China's help in calming North Korea and in other trouble spots (such as Myanmar, see article), and that such help comes at a price, even where it appears to be in China's own self-interest.

ECONOMIST: A chill in the air at a regional forum