Source: Office of International Cooperation & Exchange
Written by: Office of International Cooperation & Exchange
Proofread by: Feng Yang
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On the afternoon of August 7, 2016, local time in Mexico, Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong inaugurated the Confucius Classroom at the Universidad del Caribe (Unicaribe). Luo Jun, President of Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), accompanied Vice Premier Liu Yandong in the inauguration ceremony. Xu Lin, Chief Executive of Confucius Institute Headquarters and Director-General of Hanban; Jiang Xiaojuan, Deputy Secretary General of the State Council; Wang Chao, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Hao Ping, Vice Minister of Education; Qiu Xiaoqi, Chinese Ambassador to Mexico; Tirso Juan Ordaz Coral, President of Unicaribe; and Jose de Jesus Williams, President of UADY, attended the event.

The Confucius Institute at the Autonomous University of Yucatan (CI-UADY) was jointly established by SYSU and UADY in 2007. Having received praises from Mexican people and Chinese Hanban, CI-UADY became the first model Confucius Institute in Latin America in 2016. In 2014, CI-UADY set up a Chinese teaching spot at Unicaribe and it has developed into an important platform for Mexican people in Cancun city and even in the state of Quintana Roo to learn Chinese language and culture. Recently, applied by Unicaribe, recommended by UADY and approved by Hanban, the teaching spot at Unicaribe has become a Confucius Classroom overseen by CI-UADY, and it is also the first Confucius Classroom in Mexico.

SYSU’s work at CI-UADY was highly affirmed by Vice Premier Liu Yandong and Director-General Xu Lin. Vice Premier Liu Yandong expressed the hope that the Confucius Classroom at Unicaribe and the five Confucius Institutes in Mexico will provide better service for Mexican people to learn the Chinese language, to know more about China and the Chinese culture, and cultivate more friendship envoys between the two countries.

After the event, President Luo Jun met with SYSU teachers and volunteers working in Mexico. He praised their contribution to promoting the Chinese language, and emphasized the significance of promoting international Chinese language education.

During the visit in Mexico, President Luo Jun also met with President of Unicaribe Tirso Juan Ordaz Coral and President of UADY Jose de Jesus Williams respectively.