The 2021 Work Report Conference of the Confucius Institutes Deans was held at GDUFS

North Campus, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, December 22^nd 2021: Recently, the work reporting conference of the Chinese deans of the Confucius Institutes in 2021 was held in the first meeting room in the administration building on the North Campus. The Chinese deans of the Confucius Institute of the University of Sapporo in Japan, the Ural Federal University in Russia, the Saint Mary’s Catholic University in Peru, the University of Cape Verde, the Ain Al Shams University in Egypt and the University of Porto in Portugal etc. met online and offline. They reflected on this year’s developments and drew a developing blueprint of the coming new year. SUI Guangjun, Secretary of the Party Committee of GDUFS and the vice president JIAO Fangtai presented at the meeting and arranged their future work.

SUI Guangjun conveyed his gratitude and appreciation to the Chinese deans of the Confucius Institutes in his speech. He mentioned that, although the COVID situation is still very serious, the development and quality of the Confucius Institutes remain considerable. Cooperation with foreign colleges has become even more harmonious. The influence of the Confucius Institutes in spreading Chinese culture and telling the stories of China and Guangdong has expanded. At the same time, SUI expressed highly his appreciation towards the Confucius Institutes’ work, including taking the lead in completing the transfer work, strengthening the construction of systems and their mechanism, integrating teachers and curriculum resources and consolidating and strengthening the characteristics of teaching etc. He stressed that regardless of whether the pandemic has become a thing of past, GDUFS should still be active and take the initiative to “open the gate”, make full use of network technology to carry out teaching and cultural exchange activities, and enrich and validate the reputation of “the Confucius Institutes of GDUFS”. Furthermore, he hoped that the deans of each institute could take active role in motivation, enhance the awareness of the overall situation, integrate various resources, establish security awareness, strictly observe the discipline of foreign affairs and diplomacy, contribute their wisdom and strength to the construction of Confucius Institutes and make great progress in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Great Bay Area Confucius Institutes Cooperation University Alliance, which was first been initiated by GDUFS.

SUI Guangjun, Secretary of the Party Committee of GDUFS, making a speech

The Chinese deans of the Confucius Institutes of GDUFS made a report based on the situation of this year’s work and the plan for the next year’s respectively. They indicated that they would continue to focus on the pandemic prevention and control, comprehensively ensuring the normal operation of the Confucius Institutes; implement the teaching policy of “stop teaching but not stop learning”; further strengthen the planning and management; build the brand of“the Confucius Institutes of GDUFS”; and boost the development of the Institutes. At present, the Chinese dean of the Confucius Institute of the University of Cape Verde ZHOU Fuqiang and the Chinese dean of the Confucius Institute of the University of Porto in Portugal YI Zongyong continue to  make positive efforts at overseas universities to ensure the normal operation of the Confucius Institutes and enhance the interchange between GDUFS and the foreign universities which cooperate with the Confucius Institutes.

YU Liuyi, the Chinese dean of the Confucius Institute of the University of Sapporo in Japan, introduced the situation of the activities of Chinese teaching and the highlights of the work in the University of Sapporo in Japan. And she put forward the new idea of “getting Chinese teaching into local communities”.

YU Liuyi, the Chinese deans of the Confucius Institute of the University of Sapporo in Japan, making a work report

The Chinese dean of the Confucius Institutes of the Ural Federal University in Russia HE Jianing emphasized that a “research-oriented Confucius Institute” is committed to be built next year, the “Internet+” form of teaching would be actively carried out, and that innovative “Chinese+” teaching work would be promoted.

The Chinese dean of the Confucius Institutes of the Ural Federal University in Russia HE Jianing making a work report

The Chinese dean of the Confucius Institute of Saint Mary’s Catholic University in Peru PENG Qigui mentioned that facing the severe situation of the pandemic in Peru, they would catch the opportunity of Chinese sustained economic growth and the progress in fighting the pandemic to tell good stories of Lingnan and spread the Chinese voice.

The Chinese dean of the Confucius Institute of the Saint Mary’s Catholic University in Peru PENG Qigui making a work report

ZHU Hailong, the Chinese dean of the Confucius Institute of the Ain Al Shams University in Egypt, suggested that on the basis of the renaming of the Confucius Classroom at Ain Shams University as a Confucius Institute in July this year, they would improve the effectiveness of publicity at home and abroad, strengthen the construction of teaching staffs, and highlight the “GDUFS’ program” in cultural teaching activities.

ZHU Hailong, the Chinese dean of the Confucius Institute of the Ain Al Shams University in Egypt making a work report

The dean of the Confucius Institute of the University of Cape Verde ZHOU Fuqiang, who joined the meeting online, said that as a result of four years of effort since 2018, the major of Chinese language undergraduate program in the Confucius Institute of the University of Cape Verde was successfully launched in October this year. In the meantime, the Confucius Institute of the University of Cape Verde signed a framework agreement for strategic cooperation with the Investment Association of China in Cape Verde.

The dean of the Confucius Institute of the University of Porto in Portugal YI Zongyong presented at the meeting online as well. He reviewed the year’s teaching and cultural activities, and pointed out that China and Portugal would continue to stick to their cooperative spirit of sincerity and unity and promote the Confucius Institute of the University of Porto in Portugal as a demonstration of China-Portugal cooperation.

KE Xiaohua, Director of the Department of International Cooperation , as well as Director of the Confucius Institute, presided at the meeting. KE reported on the work of the Confucius Institute Office in 2021 in terms of “enhancing the guidance work of the Confucius Institute (classroom) under the pandemic”, “actively promoting  transfer in Confucius Institutes”, “building a regional cooperation alliance”, “strengthening the construction of the Chinese language major” and “consolidating the management function of Confucius Institutes”. In addition, she mentioned that the Confucius Institutes Office would keep on regarding the prevention work of the pandemic as its main task; remain clear on the new mission of the Confucius Institutes’ partner school in China after finishing transfer work; promote the dissemination the southern Guangdong culture; consummate the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Great Bay Area Confucius Institutes Alliance work plans which treat GDUFS as their chairman unit; and improve the level and efficiency of the service and in the process of becoming a solid “rear area”.