Confucius Institute hosts ministerial visit from Chinese Embassy

This April, Cardiff’s Confucius Institute hosted a ministerial visit from the Chinese Embassy in London.

On 18 April Mr Wang Yongli, Minister Counsellor for Education for the Chinese Embassy in London and his Secretary, Mr Li Xiaopeng, visited Cardiff to develop a better understanding of the University and to find out more about the work of Institute.

The Cardiff Confucius Institute is part of the School of Modern Languages and promotes Chinese language and culture in Wales.

The purpose of the ministerial visit was to develop a better understanding of the University and to establish friendly, cooperative relations between the Embassy and the University. During the visit, the Minister met with senior staff at Cardiff University including President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Riordan, Pro Vice-Chancellors Professor Nora de Leeuw and Professor George Boyne, and Dean for China, Professor Wenguo Jiang. He also spent time with the International Office and with senior staff from Cardiff Business School, which has the highest proportion of Chinese student enrollments across all academic schools.

When visiting the Confucius Institute, Mr Wang Yongli was keen to congratulate staff on the Institute's 10th anniversary which was celebrated in November 2017. He was also keen to learn more about the work of the Institute in delivering Chinese language teaching to various stakeholders across Wales, including primary and secondary schools, university students, and adult learners.

Christine Cox, General Manager of the Cardiff Confucius Institute said "It is encouraging that the Chinese Embassy is taking a real interest in the work of the Institute. We are very proud of the work we do to provide Chinese language teaching and hope, that with the Embassy's support, we can continue to establish ourselves as a leading enabler for Cardiff University and for the Welsh compulsory education sector in the development of Chinese language and culture provision".

As well as meeting with staff from the University and the Confucius Institute, the Minister also spent time meeting Chinese students currently undertaking their studies at Cardiff University. This was an opportunity for the Embassy to better understand the needs of Chinese nationals living and studying in Wales and to extend the Embassy's support to them.