UM holds Annual Conference of Confucius Institute Alliance in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Confucius Institute, the Confucius Institute at the University of Macau (UM) held the 3rd Annual Conference of the Confucius Institute (Chinese International Education) Alliance in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The event brought together representatives from several universities, including UM, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Sun Yat-sen University, South China University of Technology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, South China Normal University, Guangzhou University, Lingnan Normal University, and Shenzhen University, to promote the development of Chinese international education.

The theme of the conference was ‘Chinese international education resources and innovation in cultural communication from a cross-cultural perspective’. In his opening remarks, Xu Jie, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and director of the Confucius Institute at UM, expressed hope that the conference would provide a platform for members of the alliance to share their experiences, achievements, and development models in Chinese international education and management, thereby deepening cooperation among universities and Confucius Institutes in the Greater Bay Area and promoting mutual understanding and exchanges among people from different countries.

Zhao Lingshan, vice president and secretary general of the Chinese International Education Foundation; Li Jinjun, director of the Exchange and Cooperation Division (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office) of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province; and He Chuatian, vice president of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, also spoke at the event. They all expressed hope that the alliance will continue to improve teaching resources for Chinese international education, demonstrate multiculturalism, and achieve integration and sharing of resources among alliance members, so as to promote the development of Chinese international education and Confucius Institutes in the Greater Bay Area and beyond.

In his concluding remarks, Zhou Liuyu, level IV division rank official of the Exchange and Cooperation Division (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office) of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province, said that universities should recognise the importance of Chinese international education, improve the quality of teaching while promoting exchanges, and make use of the alliance to carry out extensive academic and cultural exchange activities, thereby contributing to the development of Chinese international education in the Greater Bay Area.

The conference was also attended by Rui Martins, vice rector of UM, and Wu Tao, vice president of Lingnan Normal University.