BUCHAREST, Nov. 22 (Xinhua net) -- The Confucius Institute (CI), co-founded by China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) and University of Bucharest (UB), held an opening ceremony in Bucharest, Romania on November 22. Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta and Chinese Ambassador to Romania Huo Yuzhen attended the ceremony and unveiled the CI plaque.

Prime Minister Ponta stated that the successful opening of the CI in Bucharest was a highly important event. It is a remarkable that it coincided with Chinese premier Li Keqiang’s upcoming visit to Romania, and His Excellency’s subsequent attendance of the annual summit with leaders of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. He voiced the hope that an increasing number of Romanian students would enroll in the CI to learn Chinese in the days to come. And by doing that, those students can get a better understanding of Chinese culture. He also expressed the desire that Chinese students could also get chances to study Romanian in that Institute as well, so as to strengthen the student exchange between the two countries.

Chinese Ambassador Huo Yuzhen stated that there was a “Mandarin fever” emerging in the countries around the world, and Romania is one of them. China was willing to conduct cultural exchanges with other countries. The cultural and educational exchanges between China and Romania would have been utterly impossible without the following three factors: the existence of the profound friendship between the two peoples, the support and help given by our Romanian friends, and the attention, support, care and guidance given by the leaders of the two countries.

Besides Prime Minister Ponta and Ambassador Huo, Romania's Education Minister Remus Pricopie, UB Rector Mircea Dumitru, CUPL President Huang Jin, the Chinese Co-Director of CI, Xue Xiaojian, the Romanian Co-Director of CI, Luminiza Belan, and other distinguished guests from all walks of life attended that special gathering. Xu Lin, Director of the Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters), sent a congratulational telegram to the CI in Bucharest.

In recent years, the popularizing of Chinese in Romania has progressed rapidly. From 2007 to 2012, three Confucius Institutes were established in Sibiu, Cluj and Brasov in succession. In addition, there was a Confucius classroom operating in Constanta, a port city along the Black Sea. There were a bundle of Chinese teaching schools scattered in various cities across Romania, Bucharest was one of them.