Ibero-American Countries Hold a Discussion on Chinese Education

San Diego, July 17 (by Luan Xiang, Xinhuanet) - A delegation consisting of representatives of Hanban and experts and professors from 14 Chinese higher education institutions met with the directors of Confucius Institutes in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain in Chile's coastal city of Vina Del Mar on July 17th to launch a experience exchange meeting regarding Chinese teaching and the formulation of a plan for development of Chinese teaching.

Lv Fan, Chinese Ambassador to Chile stated that language is a bridge for boosting communication between different nations and a bond for building up friendship among countries. The international promotion of Chinese language is of great significance to the deepening of foreign people's understanding of Chinese culture and the closing of the gap of emotional distance between China and the world. Hanban's overseas Chinese teaching programs are indispensable in regards to the dissemination of Chinese culture.

According to Xu Lin, Director-General of Hanban and General Director of Confucius Institute Headquarters, the overseas Chinese education led by Confucius Institutes has developed rapidly in recent years as the demands for Chinese learning increases worldwide. As of May 2010, over 300 Confucius Institutes and over 300 Confucius Classrooms for primary and secondary school students have been established in more than 90 countries, with the overseas Chinese language learning population reaching 40 million.　

Delegates hailing from Ibero-American countries revealed that there is a clear discrepancy between the ever-increasing demands for Chinese learning and the shortage of teachers and teaching resources. In response Xu Lin states that measures must be taken to strengthen the cooperation between Chinese and foreign parties as well as the adaptation of Chinese teaching materials to local climates and development of the localization of teachers. With the growth of China's economic strength and diplomatic impact, Chinese teaching is booming in Latin American countries. To date 27 Confucius Institutes/Classrooms have been established in tertiary schools in 10 American countries and the number of Chinese learners is soaring.

All under the administration of Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing, non-profit education organizations devoting themselves to the promotion of Chinese language and culture, Confucius Institutes are, in most cases, established jointly by a foreign higher education institution in cooperation with a Chinese higher education institution and are located at the foreign institution. The fundamental mission of Confucius Institutes is that of provision of authoritative Chinese teacher resources and standardized modern Chinese teaching materials for overseas Chinese learners.