The 11th Confucius Institute Conference to be held in Kunming soon

On Dec. 10th and 11th, the 11th Confucius Institute Conference, with “Innovation, Cooperation, Inclusion, Sharing” as its theme, will be held in Kunming. Co-sponsored by Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) and People’s Government of Yunnan Province, this year’s conference is jointly hosted by the Department of Education of Yunnan Province, Kunming Municipal People’s Government and Yunnan University, and co-organized by the Department of Culture of Yunnan Province, Foreign Affairs Office of People’s Government of Yunnan Province, Kunming University of Science and Technology and Yunnan Normal University. A total of approximately 2,400 delegates are expected to attend this year’s conference, including university presidents and representatives of Confucius Institutes (Classrooms) from 140 countries and regions, envoys from foreign embassies in China, representatives of foreign institutions of language and culture promotion, as well as representatives of relevant ministries, local educational authorities and Chinese partner institutions.

At the Press Conference

Scheduled on the morning of Dec. 10th, the opening ceremony of the 11th Confucius Institute Conference will be held at Haigeng Auditorium and will be chaired by Mr. Chen Baosheng, Minister of Education of China and Vice-Chair of the Council of Confucius Institute Headquarters. Mdm. Liu Yandong, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice-Premier of the State Council and Chairwoman of the Council of Confucius Institute Headquarters, will attend the opening ceremony and deliver a keynote speech. She will also present such awards as “Confucius Institute of the Year”, “Confucius Classroom of the Year”, “Confucius Institute Individual Performance Excellence Award of the Year” and “Outstanding Confucius Institute Chinese Partner”. Before the opening ceremony, Vice-Premier Liu Yandong will chair the Council Meeting of Confucius Institute Headquarters, which will be attended by 28 executive council members as well as Chinese and overseas council members.

During the conference, seven Presidents’ Forums will be held on such topics as “Confucius Institute and the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative Roundtable Forum”, “Confucius Institutes’ Experiences & Challenges in Cooperating with Universities”, “Developing CI and Business Partnerships”, “Expanding the Platform of Cooperation between Chinese and Overseas Partners”, “Maximizing the Function of the Confucius Institute Board”, “Best Practices and Appraisal Criteria for Model Confucius Institutes”, and “Development of Confucius Institute for the Next Five Years”. In addition, seven Directors’ Forums will be staged for delegates to discuss such issues as “Quality of CI Directors and Teachers”, “Chinese Language Resources Translated into All Possible Languages”, “A Global System for Chinese Language Proficiency Tests Service”, “Cultural Exchange in Both Directions”, “Confucius China Studies Program: Reflections and Visions”, “The Quality Evaluation of Confucius Institutes” and “Confucius Classrooms”.

Guests attending the Press Conference

Also at this year’s conference, Mr. Hao Ping, Vice-Minister of Education of China and Executive Council Member of Confucius Institute Headquarters, will chair a meeting on international exchanges of Chinese culture such as traditional Chinese medicine and Taiji and a roundtable on Confucius Institute and the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative. In addition, other series of events will be held, including Information Service of Headquarters’ Programs, Confucius Institute Chinese Language Teaching Resource Exhibition, Confucius Institute Cultural Innovation Exhibition, as well as Yunnan Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The Confucius Institute Conference, also known as the “Davos of Education”, is a grand annual meeting of Confucius Institutes around the world and has been successfully held for ten years. The conference aims to sum up experience, enhance exchanges, and strengthen cooperation. Convened at a time when all the targets set out for the “12th Five-Year Plan” development period have been achieved, this year’s conference will pool wisdom of various countries while adhering to a goal-and problem-oriented path and bring out the full potential for the development of Confucius Institutes in a spirit of reform and innovation so as to improve their quality and strive for a new situation in the development of Confucius Institutes.

To date, 511 Confucius Institutes and 1,073 Confucius Classrooms have been established in 140 countries and regions. In 2016, the Confucius Institutes and Classrooms around the world enrolled 2.1 million students and hosted cultural events of various types, receiving a total of 13 million participants.