At three o’clock in the afternoon of February 19, 2016 (local time), the signing ceremony of a proposed Software College, jointly sponsored by the University of the West Indies (UWI), Su Zhou Global Institute of Software & Technology (Su Zhou GIST) and Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, was successfully held at the Cave Hill campus of the said UWI (UWI Cave Hill). Chinese ambassador to Barbados, Ms. Wang Ke, Vice-Chancellor of UWI, Sir Hilary Beckles, UWI Cave Hill Campus Council Chair, Dr. Paul Altman, Principal of UWI Cave Hill, Prof. Eudine Barriteau, Principal of UWI Open Campus, Dr. Luz Longsworth, former Director-General of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education/ current President of Jiangsu International Foundation for Education Excellence, Mr. Wang Bintai, Board Chairman of Su Zhou GIST, Mr. Lai Bingrong and other related persons attended the signing ceremony.

The Confucius Institute affiliated to UWI Cave Hill (CI at UWI Cave Hill) played a vital role in the preparation of the aforesaid signing ceremony. For example, the Chinese Co-Director of the CI at UWI Cave Hill, Prof. Song Qingbao, took the part of the translator, whereas its foreign Co-Director, Mr. Francois Jackman was responsible for filing. A Chinese teacher of that Confucius Institute, Li Yanhua, was in charge of its publicity and minutes making. All those jobs were highly praised by Chinese and foreign negotiators.

On February 20th, the Press Conference for the creation of the said Software Institute was held at the UWI Centre (Jamaica). Jamaican Minister of Education, the Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, MP, the Principal of UWI Mona, Prof. Archibald McDonald and other dignitaries attended it. Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of UWI, stressed the importance of learning Chinese language and its culture, and pointed out that all the students sent to China by UWI should first study Chinese language and its culture in the CI at UWI Cave Hill. After the conference, the Chinese Co-Director of CI at UWI Cave Hill toured the Mona Campus of UWI on Hilary Beckles’ invitation, which was a friendly gesture to promote the exchange and cooperation among three Confucius Institutes affiliated to UWI.