Renmin University of China (RUC) held a symposium for the Chinese and foreign directors of the Confucius Institutes about long -awaited cooperation and a performance assessment meeting for the Chinese directors. Zhang Donggang, Chair of the University Council, and Zheng Xinye, Vice President of RUC, met with the Chinese and foreign directors of the Confucius Institutes who were attending the World Chinese Language Conference in Beijing.
Zhang Donggang extended a warm welcome to the Chinese and foreign directors and expressed gratitude to the foreign partners for their assistance and contributions to the development of the Confucius Institutes. RUC has always attached great importance to the Confucius Institutes and international Chinese education. The Confucius Institutes serve as an important window and bridge for language and cultural exchanges between China and other countries, as well as a crucial platform for deepening academic exchanges and cooperation. He hoped that the Confucius Institutes would continue to play their role, accelerate transformation and upgrading, promote the construction of overseas research centers, and contribute to the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations between China and other countries.
Before this event, Lin Shangli, President of RUC, attended the plenary session of the World Chinese Language Conference and met with the Chinese and foreign directors of the Confucius Institutes during the conference. Lin Shangli hoped that the Confucius Institutes would continue to focus on Chinese language teaching, actively engage in cultural exchanges and academic cooperation, strengthen regional and country-specific studies, continuously improve the level of education, and further realize sustainable and high-quality development of the Confucius Institutes. He emphasized that the Confucius Institutes should serve as important channels and links to promote China's education opening-up, strengthen cultural exchanges, and academic cooperation with the outside world, enabling the world to better understand China and China to better understand the world, and promoting mutual understanding among people of various countries.
During the symposium for the Chinese and foreign directors of the Confucius Institutes, foreign representatives from the Confucius Institutes, including Wang Liming, the foreign director of the Confucius Institute at University College Dublin in Ireland; Benjamin Hans Creutzfeldt, the foreign executive director of the Confucius Institute at Leipzig University in Germany; Laston Mukaro, the foreign director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe; and Victor Mugari, the deputy dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Zimbabwe, exchanged views and discussed the current development status and future directions of the Confucius Institutes.
Zhang Xiaomeng, Director of the International Office, and Director of the Confucius Institute Work Office, chaired the meeting and introduced the development of the Confucius Institutes' cooperation at RUC, global strategic planning, and existing cooperation platforms. Song Yang, Deputy Director of the International Office, introduced the establishment background, cooperation forms, and construction goals of the overseas research centers.
Chinese directors of the Confucius Institutes, including Liang Hong, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at Tel Aviv University in Israel; Xu Difei, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Bologna in Italy; Li Liqin, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe; Yang Qingfang, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at Leipzig University in Germany; and Mai Qiulin, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Costa Rica, presented their annual work reports. Xie Jiangnan, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at University College Dublin in Ireland, and Guo Chunning, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, exchanged their work experiences.
Representatives from the Party Committee Organization Department, Faculty Affairs Department of the CPC Committee, International Office, Confucius Institute Affairs Office, Human Resource Department, School of Liberal Arts, School of Philosophy, School of Foreign Languages, School of Arts, School of Public Administration and Policy, Suzhou Campus, and School of Continuing Education of RUC attended the meeting and evaluated the Chinese directors' performance based on their work reports and performance.
