From November 15 to November 17, 2024, the World Chinese Language Conference took place in Beijing. This year’s conference, themed “Interconnection, Integration, Inheritance, Innovation,” was organized by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China and co-hosted by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, the Chinese International Education Foundation, and the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching. The conference featured a packed agenda and vibrant activities, with representatives from over 1,400 educational institutions across 160 countries. Naraindra Kistamah, the Mauritian Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Mauritius (CI-UoM), Fu Mingduan, the Chinese Director, Cuican, the Deputy Director of Office of International Cooperation and Exchanges at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University (ZSTU) were invited as official delegates to participate in the event.
At the opening ceremony on November 15, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the conference, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the ceremony. Minister of Education, Huai Jinpeng presided over the event. In his letter, President Xi highlighted that language is a tool for human communication, a vessel for cultural heritage, and a bridge for mutual understanding. He emphasized that the Chinese language carries thousands of years of wisdom from Chinese civilization and is an important public cultural offering from China to the world. Supporting and facilitating international Chinese language education is a responsibility of China as the native-speaking nation. Vice President Han Zheng urged international institutions and educators to use the conference as a platform for dialogue, consensus-building, and contributions to the high-quality development of international Chinese language education, fostering mutual understanding, friendship, and intercultural exchange.
During the conference, Naraindra Kistamah and Fu Mingduan participated in parallel sessions, including the HSK Global Partner Conference, The Thematic Seminar on the 20th Anniversary of the Confucius Institute, Academic System Construction and Practical Innovation of International Chinese Language Education, New Era and New Opportunities: Promoting High-Quality Development of 'Chinese + Vocational Education', and Localized Development and System Construction of International Chinese Language Education. They also engaged in other themed activities and visited the International Chinese Education Exhibition.
Reading of the Congratulatory Letter from President Xi Jinping at the Opening Ceremony of the World Chinese Language Conference
Representatives from ZSTU and UoM at the Conference