Yang Jun, vice-chancellor of Shanxi University, attended the 12th Confucius Institute Conference in Xi’an, Shaaxi province on Dec 12. The conference was themed around “deepening cooperation, developing through innovation, and working together to build a community of shared future for mankind”, aiming to seek improvements in Chinese language education and culture spread.

The conference was sponsored by Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) and Shaanxi Provincial People’s Government, and organized by the Education Department of Shaanxi Provincial Government and Xi’an Municipal People’s Government.

It included more than 2,500 directors of Confucius Institutes and presidents of the host universities from 140 countries and regions throughout the world.

Liu Yandong, vice-premier of the State Council of China and chair of the Council of Confucius Institute Headquarters attended the conference and delivered a keynote speech. She also delivered the plaques to 10 newly built Confucius Institutes and presented awards to outstanding institutes and individuals.

This year, forums between Chinese and foreign university presidents and heads of Confucius Institutes were also organized discussing Chinese language tests and scholarship services innovative development strategies of Confucius Institutes and how to coordinate the educational organization with the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Confucius Institute, a bridge for exchanges between Chinese and foreign languages and cultures, should seek localization in the teachers’ trainings and provide diversified services according to the needs of the countries, Liu said.

Known as the “Davos of the education sector”, the Confucius Institute has set up 525 institutes and another 1,113 Confucius Classrooms in 146 countries and regions worldwide, teaching Chinese to 9.16 million students until now.

The 12th Confucius Institute Conference is held in Xi’an, Shaaxi province on Dec 12. [Photo/sxu.edu.cn]

Educators pose a photograph at the 12th Confucius Institute Conference held in Xi’an, Shaaxi province on Dec 12. [Photo/sxu.edu.cn]