Li Changchun and British Foreign Secretary Haig attend the signing ceremony of cooperation agreements in London
Zhang Guilin (R), Director of the Hanban, Xu Lin (second, from right), and John Hughes (third, from right) witness the signing of the agreements
On April 17, 2012 at 17.00 (London local time) in the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), CPC Central Politburo Standing Committee Member Li Changchun—paying an official goodwill visit with his Chinese delegation to the U.K.—signed six Sino-British cooperation agreements in the areas of business, culture, publishing, and education. Among the signed documents was a cooperation agreement between the Bangor University and CUPL on the establishment of a Confucius Institute, approved by the Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters of China). CUPL Vice-President Zhang Guilin represented CUPL at the signing ceremony. British Foreign Secretary Haig represented the British side. Bangor University President John Hughes and Wu Xiyue (Beijing Liasion Office Director), also attended the ceremony.
Following the signing ceremony, CUPL Vice-President Zhang Guilin, Bangor University President John Hughes, and Director Wu Xiyue exchanged views on next steps. The two sides decided that the agreement on implementation would be signed in the near future, and the Confucius Institute would begin operations as soon as possible. The inaugural ceremony and press conference for the Confucius Institute will be held sometime before September 2012.
