Council Chairman Prof. Shi Yajun recently led the other four CUPL delegates on a visit to the UK and Romania from June 7 to June 16. At that time, they attended the Board meeting of the Confucius Institute (CI) at Bangor University (BU) and a similar meeting at the University of Bucharest (UB). During their trip, the delegation also found time to conduct academic tours at several internationally acclaimed higher education institutions, including the University of Cologne, Goethe University in Frankfurt, and the University of Manchester. The host universities cordially received the CUPL delegation, which found many opportunities for further understanding.
On June 12, CUPL Council Chairman Prof. Shi, BU Vice-Chancellor Prof. John Hughes, Mr. Shen Yang, CI Board member and Minister Counselor of the Education Section under Chinese Embassy in the UK, as well as other Board members from both sides, gathered in London for the third Board meeting of CI at BU. The Chinese Co-Dean of CI at BU, Associate Prof. Zeng Tao, and his Welsh counterpart, Prof. David Joyner, co-delivered the annual work report and the five-year development plan respectively. The Board members discussed certain significant matters concerning the future development of CI at BU, and approved the aforesaid reports.
Chairman Shi pointed out that CI at BU, being the first of its kind established overseas by our university, has had to date acheived considerable achievements. Chairman Shi expressed his thoughts toward developing a high-end Confucius Institute with distinctive features that we must stress its collaborative and innovative development in the future, make the best of the academic resources of the two universities, and then we will witness the development of a well-structured and reputable Confucius Institute in the host country. As for the matters of recruiting teachers and volunteers, Chairman Shi advised that institute to create a linkage system that engages itself with the training programs of young teachers and graduate students in CUPL.
CUPL Council Chairman Shi exchanging gifts with BU Vice-Chancellor Prof. John Hughes
Mr. Shen Yang remarked that CI at BU is the first Confucius Institute which prominently features law studies across the globe. He spoke highly of the great achievements acquired by that institute over the years, and encouraged it to make persistent efforts to become an all-directional cooperation platform between the two universities, thereby ushering in a new era of comprehensive collaboration between the two sides. Mr. Shen especially pointed out that the year of 2015 is the golden year of Sino-UK cooperation: for instance, China’s President Xi Jinping will visit the UK; as well as the Third Round of UK-China People-to-People Dialogue will be held. Meanwhile, this year is also the culture exchange year between China and the United Kingdom. He hoped that the CI at BU will take advantage of this precious opportunity and truly achieve something with it.
On June 14, Chairman Shi and his party arrived in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Accompanied by the Chinese Co-Director of CI at UB, Prof. Ms. Xue Xiaojian, and her Romanian counterpart, Prof. Ms. Luminita Balan, CUPL delegates toured that Confucius Institute and enjoyed a cordial visit with its faculty members. Chairman Shi was delighted to learn that this vibrant institute, though established only two years ago, had achieved prominent progress. He spoke of his high opinion of the close cooperation between the two Co-Directors and praised the faculty and volunteers for their diligence and hard work. Chairman Shi further emphatically indicated that the future work of CI at UB should center on the triple core values: “rich & meaningful development”, “collaborative innovation” and “comprehensive reform”. He stated that this institute should focus its efforts on improving its quality, highlighting its unique features, and realizing the goal of “A common language sets the stage, and culture and academic exchanges play the star roles”. After the talks, Chairman Shi wrote with pleasure the following inscription for CI at UB: “Closing the cultural distance of the two countries by our sincere work, demonstrating the meaningfulness of the academic exchanges between two universities with high quality results”.
CUPL Council Chairman Shi and delegates casting votes while attending Board meeting of CI at UB
On June 15, Chairman Shi and UB Rector Prof. Mircea Dumitru, as well as Board members from both sides, attended the third Board meeting of CI at UB. The Board reviewed and approved the work reports of the two Co-Directors, the report on budget execution, and the report on future work arrangements. Two new Board members were elected, also.
During the trip, Chairman Shi and other delegates also stopped by University of Cologne, Goethe University in Frankfurt and the University of Manchester. Our delegation held talks with leaders, deans, directors of international offices, directors of various research institutes, and distinguished professors of those three universities. The delegation had in-depth discussion with our foreign counterparts and reached consensus on matters including deepening and broadening interscholastic cooperation, as well as developing communication platforms in the future. While travelling in Germany, Chairman Shi also took the time to visit CUPL alumni who were advancing their studies at University of Cologne and had a cordial talk with them. In Romania, Chairman Shi visited Mr. Xu Feihong, Chinese Ambassador to that country, and asked for the Ambassador’s opinions and suggestions on matters concerning education in China and Romania and cultural exchanges between the two countries, among other things.
