Macau | Local branch of Confucius Institute operative by early 2018

Macau (MNA) – University of Macau (UM) announced Thursday that a local branch of the Confucius Institute will be operational early next year. UM recently received approval from the Office of Chinese Language Council International, to host the local branch.

A press release states that the establishment of the institution is in response to the Macau SAR (MSAR) ‘Government’s efforts to participate in China’s ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative and to develop Macau into an international platform for Chinese language education for overseas countries, especially Portuguese-speaking countries.’

The Institute will be managed under the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) and its facilities are currently in the design and construction stage, the release explains.

FAH Dean Hong Gang Jin and Associate Dean Shi Jianguo will serve as the director and deputy director of the institute, respectively.

UM says that the institute will use local characteristics to develop it ‘into an international platform for Chinese language teaching, training, and exchange for students from Portuguese-speaking countries and countries with relations with Macau.’

‘The institute will integrate teaching and research resources both inside and outside the university as well as those from the Department of Portuguese to carry out various training and research activities, cultural exchange activities, as well as Chinese language proficiency examinations,’ the release describes.