diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj b/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj
index 807dcb10315..532b642a139 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj
@@ -1168,6 +1168,10 @@
 					/>
 				</FileConfiguration>
 			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath=".\unicode\std_string.h"
+				>
+			</File>
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\uassert.h"
 				>
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/unicode/std_string.h b/icu4c/source/common/unicode/std_string.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..62b89479bc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/unicode/std_string.h
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+/*
+*******************************************************************************
+*
+*   Copyright (C) 2009, International Business Machines
+*   Corporation and others.  All Rights Reserved.
+*
+*******************************************************************************
+*   file name:  std_string.h
+*   encoding:   US-ASCII
+*   tab size:   8 (not used)
+*   indentation:4
+*
+*   created on: 2009feb19
+*   created by: Markus W. Scherer
+*/
+
+#ifndef __STD_STRING_H__
+#define __STD_STRING_H__
+
+/**
+ * \file 
+ * \brief C++ API: Central ICU header for including the C++ standard <string>
+ *                 header and for related definitions.
+ */
+
+#include "unicode/utypes.h"
+
+/**
+ * \def U_HAVE_STD_STRING
+ * Define whether the standard C++ (STL) <string> header is available.
+ * @draft ICU 4.2
+ */
+#ifndef U_HAVE_STD_STRING
+#define U_HAVE_STD_STRING 1
+#endif
+
+#if U_HAVE_STD_STRING
+
+#include <string>
+
+/**
+ * \def U_STD_NS
+ * Define the namespace to use for standard C++ (STL) classes.
+ * Either std or empty.
+ * @draft ICU 4.2
+ */
+
+/**
+ * \def U_STD_NSQ
+ * Define the namespace qualifier to use for standard C++ (STL) classes.
+ * Either std:: or empty.
+ * For example,
+ *   U_STD_NSQ string StringFromUnicodeString(const UnicodeString &unistr);
+ * @draft ICU 4.2
+ */
+
+/**
+ * \def U_STD_NS_USE
+ * This is used to specify that the rest of the code uses the
+ * standard (STL) namespace.
+ * Either "using namespace std;" or empty.
+ * @draft ICU 4.2
+ */
+#ifndef U_STD_NSQ
+#   if U_HAVE_NAMESPACE
+#       define U_STD_NS std
+#       define U_STD_NSQ U_STD_NS::
+#       define U_STD_NS_USE using namespace U_STD_NS;
+#   else
+#       define U_STD_NS
+#       define U_STD_NSQ
+#       define U_STD_NS_USE
+#   endif
+#endif
+
+#endif  // U_HAVE_STD_STRING
+
+#endif  // __STD_STRING_H__
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/strtest.cpp b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/strtest.cpp
index 97620c921ff..ef1984fde3a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/strtest.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/strtest.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /********************************************************************
  * COPYRIGHT: 
- * Copyright (c) 1997-2005, International Business Machines Corporation and
+ * Copyright (c) 1997-2009, International Business Machines Corporation and
  * others. All Rights Reserved.
  ********************************************************************/
 /*   file name:  strtest.cpp
@@ -185,8 +185,52 @@ void StringTest::runIndexedTest(int32_t index, UBool exec, const char *&name, ch
 #endif
         }
         break;
+    case 8:
+        name="TestStdNamespaceQualifier";
+        if(exec) {
+            TestStdNamespaceQualifier();
+        }
+        break;
+    case 9:
+        name="TestUsingStdNamespace";
+        if(exec) {
+            TestUsingStdNamespace();
+        }
+        break;
     default:
         name="";
         break;
     }
 }
+
+// Syntax check for the correct namespace qualifier for the standard string class.
+void
+StringTest::TestStdNamespaceQualifier() {
+#if U_HAVE_STD_STRING
+    U_STD_NSQ string s="abc xyz";
+    U_STD_NSQ string t="abc";
+    t.append(" ");
+    t.append("xyz");
+    if(s!=t) {
+        errln("standard string concatenation error: %s != %s", s.c_str(), t.c_str());
+    }
+#endif
+}
+
+#if U_HAVE_STD_STRING
+// Now test that "using namespace std;" is defined correctly.
+U_STD_NS_USE
+#endif
+
+void
+StringTest::TestUsingStdNamespace() {
+#if U_HAVE_STD_STRING
+    string s="abc xyz";
+    string t="abc";
+    t.append(" ");
+    t.append("xyz");
+    if(s!=t) {
+        errln("standard string concatenation error: %s != %s", s.c_str(), t.c_str());
+    }
+#endif
+}
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/strtest.h b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/strtest.h
index 5f342e10980..8d88c4ab668 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/strtest.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/strtest.h
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /********************************************************************
  * COPYRIGHT: 
- * Copyright (c) 1997-2004, International Business Machines Corporation and
+ * Copyright (c) 1997-2009, International Business Machines Corporation and
  * others. All Rights Reserved.
  ********************************************************************/
 /*   file name:  strtest.h
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 /*
  * Test character- and string- related settings in utypes.h,
  * macros in putil.h, and constructors in unistr.h .
+ * Also basic tests for std_string.h .
  */
 
 #ifndef __STRTEST_H__
@@ -33,6 +34,8 @@ private:
     void TestEndian(void);
     void TestSizeofTypes(void);
     void TestCharsetFamily(void);
+    void TestStdNamespaceQualifier();
+    void TestUsingStdNamespace();
 };
 
 #endif