Recent Events: Confucius Institute Directors' Meeting

2009 Confucius Institutes of Australia and New Zealand Regional Meeting

“Sustainable Development of Confucius Institutes in Australia and New Zealand”

The 2009 Confucius Institutes of Australia and New Zealand Regional Meeting was hosted and organised on the 12th of June by the Confucius Institute at The University of Western Australia (UWA). Directors and representatives from 13 Confucius Institutes across Australia and New Zealand, with special observors from Japan, Korea and Singapore, delegates from the Confucius Institute Headquarters/The Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) and Chinese Consulate officials from Australia and New Zealand travelled to Perth, Western Australia, to attend the meeting. This was the first time a regional meeting of the scale and significance has been convened.

The meeting commenced with a welcoming speech by the Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Australia, Professor Alan Robson. Professor Robson discussed the significant collaborative research and teaching relationships made in recent years between UWA, Zhejiang University and several other Chinese universities. He emphasised the importance of encouraging students to embrace opportunities gained through cultural and academic exchange with Chinese universities and the importance of continually developing the Chinese Mandarin language courses offered at UWA. In closing, he kindly thanked those who had travelled great distances to be present drawing on a saying by Confucius, “How happy we are, to meet friends from far away”. 

The next speaker, Minister-Counsellor Mr Wang Yongda from the Education Section of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Canberra, outlined the developments made by the Confucius Institutes in recent years. He described this development as similar to a young child who grows significantly in a short period of time yet faces many challenges. He concluded by calling for those present to work as one so that the legacies and developments made by the Confucius Institutes may continue well into the future.

The next address was made by Mr Zhao Guocheng, Deputy Chief Executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, and Deputy Director General of The Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban). Mr Zhao emphasised the current developments by Confucius Institutes around the world, especially in the Oceania. He expressed a heart felt thanks Australian and New Zealand partners as the significant advancements made by the Confucius Institutes in the region could not have been possible without their support. Most importantly, Mr Zhao provided a summary of the recent initiatives and programs of the Confucius Institute Headquarters such as, the four new centres of development: Chinese teaching centres, cultural research centres, Chinese language proficiency test centres and preparation centres for international students studying Chinese.

The next discussion was presented by the Directors of the Confucius Institutes at The University of Western Australia, The University of Melbourne, The University of Adelaide, The University of Auckland and The University of Sydney. The Directors spoke of their experiences of running programs through the Confucius Institutes and provided plans for future developments. Participants also discussed for developments in the areas of Chinese language teaching, training and resources.

In closing, the Confucius Institute Headquarters Deputy CEO, Mr Hu Zhiping, delivered a summary of the meeting’s proceedings. Mr Hu raised important questions and provided a tentative plan for the Confucius Institutes. He proposed that all suggestions made by those at the meeting were central to future policy making and project developments. Furthermore, he emphasised that this joint conference offered a platform for cooperative work and expressed that such collaboration will ensure a positive future for the Confucius Institutes.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a tour was provided of the Confucius Institute at The University of Western Australia Claremont Campus building by its Director, Professor Gary Sigley.