China News Agency, Beijing, July 6th (Reporter Ma Haiyan) Recently, it was reported that the Confucius Institute Headquarters has been renamed "Chinese-Foreign Language Exchange and Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Education". The reporter learned from relevant institutions on the 6th that the Confucius Institute has not been renamed, and none of the Confucius Institutes worldwide has changed its name. It is just that the Confucius Institute brand is fully operated by the "China International Chinese Education Foundation".
The head of the China International Chinese Education Foundation told China News Agency that the foundation is a non-governmental public welfare organization initiated by a number of universities and enterprises. It will continue to support the development of Confucius Institutes worldwide with Chinese and foreign partners of the Confucius Institutes.
The person in charge of the foundation emphasized that the Confucius Institute always adheres to the nature of non-profit non-governmental public welfare educational institutions and has created a school model of equal cooperation and mutual benefit between China and foreign countries. Since its inception in 2004, 540 Confucius Institutes and 1,154 Confucius Classrooms have been established in 162 countries and regions around the world. There are more than 40,000 part-time and part-time teachers at home and abroad, and more than 12 million students have been trained.
The person in charge said that the establishment of "China International Chinese Education Foundation" is in line with international practice and expectations of all parties. As we all know, many countries have established foundations to promote their own language and culture, such as the Francophone Foundation, the Greek Culture Foundation, the Russian World Foundation, and the Japan International Exchange Foundation.
According to reports, there are a total of 27 units that initiated the establishment of the foundation, including Peking University, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing Foreign Studies University and other 17 universities that host a large number of Confucius Institutes, China Education Publishing Media Group Co., Ltd., Hankao International Educational Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. and other 4 enterprises that cooperate closely with the international Chinese education cause, as well as 6 educational and cultural social organizations including the World Chinese Language Teaching Association and the National Museum of China.
The person in charge said that the Confucius Institute will be operated by the Foundation. Although the operating organization and model have changed, the Chinese and foreign cooperative agencies have promised that the support for the Confucius Institute will not be reduced. On the contrary, due to changes in mechanisms and models, the Confucius Institute The support and services provided will be more powerful, more diverse and more optimized. The foundation will give full play to the advantages of a wide range of financing channels, attract and gather Chinese and foreign enterprises, social organizations, governments at all levels, and all sectors of society and individuals to actively participate, injecting a stronger impetus to the construction and development of the Confucius Institute. (Finish)