12th Confucius Institute Conference to Be Held in Xi’an

The 12th Confucius Institute Conference will be held in Xi’an from December 12th to 13th, centering on “Deepen Cooperation, Developing through Innovation, Working Together to Build a Community of Shared Future for Mankind”. The conference is sponsored by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) and the People’s Government of Shaanxi Province, organized by the Department of Education of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an Municipal People’s Government, and co-organized by the Department of Culture of Shaanxi Province and institutions, Foreign Affairs Office of Shaanxi Province and Xi’an International Studies University. University presidents as well as representatives of Confucius Institutes (Classrooms) from about 140 countries, envoys from foreign embassies in China, and delegates from international institutes of language and culture promotion, national ministries, local education administrations and host universities will attend the conference. A national working conference on Confucius Institute will be held prior to the conference upon the agenda of deepening reform and opening a new journey for the development of Confucius Institute in the new era.

The news briefing of the 12th Confucius Institute Conference

Chaired by Chen Baosheng, Minister of Education and Vice Chair of Council of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, P.R.China., the opening ceremony of the Confucius Institute Conference will commence in Qujiang International Conference Center on the morning of December 12th. Liu Yandong, Vice Premier of the State Council and Chair of the Council of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, P.R.China, will attend and address the ceremony. After her keynote speech, Liu is going to presents plaques to 10 new Confucius Institutes and award 70 prizes including the 2017 “Confucius Institute of the Year”, “Confucius Classroom of the Year”, “Confucius Institute Individual Performance Excellence Award” and “Outstanding Confucius Institute Chinese Partner”. Before the opening ceremony, Vice Premier Liu will also chair the Council of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, with the participation of 35 executive directors, Chinese and foreign directors and senior advisers. A “conference forum” will be set up for the first time, so that presidents and scholars from prestigious Chinese and foreign universities will exchange ideas upon “Development of Confucius Institutes and Building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind”. During the conference, seven presidents’ forums and eight directors’ forums will be held to discuss Performance Management of Confucius Institutes, Capacity Building of Teaching Staff for Confucius Institutes, Innovation of Teaching And Resources for Confucius Institutes, Creative Cultural Programmes of Confucius Institutes, Chinese Proficiency Test and Scholarships’ Support for Confucius Institutes, Building a Better Public Image of Confucius Institutes, Confucius Institute and China Studies, Chinese and Host universities’ Participation in the Belt and Road Initiative through Confucius Institute Programmes, Confucius Institutes’ Demand-oriented Development Strategies and other topics.

Meanwhile, the Confucius Institutes’ Achievements Exhibition, the Confucius Institute Chinese Language Teaching Resource Exhibition, the Theme Exhibition on Chinese Food Culture, the Brief Introduction to Higher Education in Shaanxi, the Calligraphy Creative Product Exhibition of Chinese Calligraphy Institute and other events will also be held. The closing ceremony will be on the afternoon of December 13th, when Tian Xuejun, Vice Minister of Education and Executive Council Member of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, P.R.China, will deliver a closing speech.

Taken as Davos in education, the annual Confucius Institute Conference is a grand event for all the Confucius Institutes around the world, which has already been held for eleven years in succession. The Conference aims at learning from experiences, promoting communications and enhancing cooperation. This year, the conference coincides with the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In the new era for development of China, the Confucius Institute Conference will, in the spirit of innovation and reform, promote connotation development, improve the quality and efficiency, pool wisdom from various countries and initiate new prospects for future development of the Confucius Institute.

Currently, 525 Confucius Institutes have been established in 146 countries (regions) around the world, where 1113 Confucius Classrooms have been set up at primary and middle schools. Specifically, 53 countries along the Belt and Road have established 140 Confucius Institutes and opened 136 Confucius Classrooms. Till 2017, the total number of students in Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms has reached 2.32 million, and 12.72 million people have participated in various culture activities held by Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms.