Nanjing University: Ministry of Education Officials Visit Nanjing University to Investigate International Chinese Education Programs

On August 1, Hu Zhiping, deputy director of the China-Foreign Language Exchange and Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Education (hereinafter referred to as the “Language Exchange and Cooperation Center”), and his delegation visited our school to conduct research and exchanges on the development of international Chinese education at Nanjing University. Lu Yanqing, vice president of Nanjing University, and Ding Aijun, assistant to the president, attended the relevant exchange meeting. The meeting was chaired by Zhao Wenshu, dean of the School of Overseas Education.

On behalf of the university, Lu Yanqing welcomed the visit of the leaders of the Language Integration Center. He briefly introduced the long history and achievements of our university’s international Chinese education, and expressed his gratitude to the Language Integration Center for its support and guidance to our university. Vice President Lu Yanqing emphasized the importance of opening up education and cooperative education, and said that Nanjing University will continue to implement the open education strategy, improve the level and quality of opening up education and cooperative education, and help improve the connotation and high-quality development of Nanjing University’s international Chinese education.

Hu Zhiping highly affirmed the important contributions made by Nanjing University to the overall construction of Confucius Institutes and the development of international Chinese education, and expressed appreciation for the school’s active implementation of the open school strategy and solid promotion of internationalization. He pointed out that on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Confucius Institute, he hoped that Nanjing University would comprehensively consider the construction and development of the Confucius Institute from a national strategic perspective, optimize the layout of the Confucius Institute, help the construction of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, and inject new impetus into the continued important role of the Confucius Institute. At the same time, he hoped that Nanjing University would give full play to the school’s characteristics and carry out international Chinese education in a “multi-channel and all-round” manner. The Language Integration Center will continue to maintain close contact with Nanjing University, increase cooperation, pay attention to new mechanisms, new practices, new projects and new initiatives in international Chinese education, actively promote the sustainable and high-quality development of international Chinese education, and make new and greater contributions to enhancing Sino-foreign educational and cultural cooperation and people-to-people friendship.

Cheng Xu, deputy director of the Confucius Institute Office of our university, reported on the remarkable achievements of our university’s international Chinese education in recent years in “telling China’s stories well”, “enhancing friendship with China”, “strengthening teaching and research”, and also put forward the practical challenges and difficulties faced by international Chinese education. He said that Nanjing University will focus on integrating resources, explore long-term support and cooperation mechanisms with the Language Integration Center, strengthen diversified support and management, and jointly promote the high-quality and sustainable development of international Chinese education.

Cao Xianwen, Vice Dean of the School of Overseas Education, and Zhang Quanzhen, Director of the Department of International Chinese Education, respectively made speeches on how to promote overseas people-to-people exchanges, create high-quality teaching materials, and promote international Chinese education.

The leaders of the Language Integration Center, our school leaders and relevant work leaders also had extensive and pragmatic exchanges and discussions on other issues related to international Chinese education, aiming to advance the work in a solid and in-depth manner and to more effectively promote international Chinese education and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.

Also attending the meeting were He Wei, Director of the Standards and Examination Assessment Department of the Language Integration Center, Wang Duoli, a senior project officer, and Zhang Suogeng, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Overseas Education College.