On the morning of November 18, Jiang Zeting, Council Chair of China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL), met with Chinese and foreign co-directors and board members from the Confucious Institute at the University of Bucharest, Romania and the Confucius Institute at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados (the CIs). The delegations were in Beijing for the 2024 World Chinese Language Conference. Attendees included Professor Luminita Balan, Romanian Director of the CI at UB; Su Yu, Chinese Director of the CI at UB; Mugurel-Dan Zlotea, former Vice Rector of UB, CI board member, and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature of UB; and Nie Lu, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados. Vice President Lu Chunlong presided over the event.
(Jiang Zeting meeting with Chinese and foreign directors and board members of Confucius Institutes, photo by Lu Yunkai)
Council Chair Jiang congratulated the Cis on their accomplishments and expressed his gratitude to the Chinese and foreign directors and staff for their dedicated efforts. He emphasized the importance of studying and implementing the guiding principles outlined by President Xi Jinping at the 2024 World Chinese Language Conference and the National Education Conference. Jiang underscored the need to further define the objectives and strategies for the development of CIs, encouraging innovation in service models and efforts to enhance their appeal, cohesion, and influence. He stressed the need for cooperative mechanisms that bridge Chinese and international perspectives, promoting the high-quality and sustainable development of Confucius Institutes to contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity. Jiang also underscored the importance of integrating the development of CIs into CUPL’s broader strategic framework, seizing opportunities in the new era to support the university’s goal of becoming a world-class institution.
During the meeting, Luminita Balan, Su Yu, and Nie Lu provided updates on the Confucius Institutes at the University of Bucharest and the University of the West Indies. They highlighted achievements in language and cultural promotion, progress in collaboration between the universities, and challenges encountered. They expressed gratitude for CUPL's strong support and reiterated their commitment to leveraging the CIs as bridges for cultural exchange and mutual understanding. They highlighted the CIs’ role in enhancing CUPL’s international presence and pledged to continue improving the quality and standards of CIs under the guidance of the principles outlined in President Xi’s congratulatory letter and the speech at the National Education Conference.
Board representatives engaged in discussions on integrating the CIs into their host universities, the popularity of their courses and cultural activities, and the support provided by the host institutions.
Li Juqian, Director of CUPL’s Office of International Cooperation and Exchange and Dean of the School of International Education; Li Dandan, Director of the Confucius Institute Office; and Qu Xin, Deputy Director of the Confucius Institute Office attended the meeting.
