On November 15, the 2024 World Chinese Language Conference hosted by the Ministry of Education was held in Beijing. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the conference and congratulated the Confucius Institute on its 20th anniversary.

Chen Jun, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice President of Nankai University, attended the conference.Yu Ying, a full-time teacher at Nankai University Confucius Institute, attended the opening ceremony of the conference as an outstanding teacher representative. The NEOMA Confucius Institute for Business in France, which was jointly established by Nankai University, was awarded the “2024 ChinesePlus Smart Education Gold Course” award and the “2024 International Chinese Language Teacher Certificate Examination Excellent Test Center” award, and the Confucius Institute at the University of the Andes in Colombia was awarded the “2024 HSK Excellent Test Center” award.

On November 14, by taking the convening of the World Chinese Language Conference, the 2nd International Joint Conference on Chinese Language Education and the Meeting on the 20th Anniversary of the Work of Confucius Institutes of Nankai University were held in Beijing. Chen Jun, Vice President of Nankai University; Diana Cristina, Vice President of the Federal University of Ceará, and representatives of Chinese and foreign deans of overseas Confucius Institutes and Chinese teaching institutions jointly established by Nankai University in eight countries attended the meeting.

Chen Jun delivered a keynote speech entitled “Work Together to Compose a New Chapter after 20 Years of Pioneering Work” at the meeting. He recalled the achievements in Nankai University Confucius Institutes in the past 20 years since Nankai University jointly established the first Confucius Institute in the Americas in 2004, and its role in promoting Chinese-foreign exchanges. He spoke highly of the productive achievements made by Chinese and foreign parties under the new situation of international Chinese language education, and hoped that Chinese and foreign parties would deepen cooperation and people-to-people exchanges to serve the community with a shared future for mankind and the Global Civilization Initiative.

The keynote speech struck a chord with the participants, who shared their experiences in promoting Chinese-foreign cultural exchanges. A report was given on the work summary for 2024 and the work plan for 2025. The conference recognized the two Chinese deans who have contributed to the cause of the Confucius Institute. The head of the Confucius Institute Office of Nankai University presided over the meeting.

Chen Jun and Diana Cristina held talks. The two sides spoke highly of the achievements made since the establishment of the Confucius Institute as well as achievements in inter-university cooperation, and signed an agreement on the continued cooperation between the two sides and the Chinese International Education Foundation in the building of Confucius Institutes.

It is learned that Nankai University is one of the first Chinese universities to participate in the establishment of Confucius Institutes. Nankai University has trained 117,000 trainees and over 520,000 people participated in various activities, which have made outstanding contributions to telling China’s story well and fostering people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Nankai University Confucius Institute, Nankai University and the Confucius Institutes jointly established overseas held celebrations by releasing the 20th anniversary collection and commemorative products, holding academic seminars, exhibitions of pictures and ancient paintings and calligraphy works, and putting on artistic performances.

（Edited and translated by Nankai News Team.)