ELTE delegation at the 9th annual meeting of Confucius Institutes

2014. December 01.

A delegation from Eötvös Loránd University, led by Dr Barna Mezey took part in the 9th annual meeting of Confucius Institutes, held between December 1 and 10 in Xiamen. Dr Mezey also delivered a speech at the Forum of Rectors, entitled: “Evaluative Criteria for a Model Confucius Institute”. Participants from 126 countries attended the meeting. The two-day conference offered opportunities for the participants to share their experiences, build contacts and outline further directions for development.

Dr Imre Hamar, Director of ELTE Confucius Institution and Guuruchin Tsogzolmaa (Mongolian State University) together led a debate involving all Confucius Institute directors. During this session directors from Cameroon, Mexico, Poland, Thailand, Great Britain and the USA could discuss questions and topics relating to the training of their countries’ local Chinese teachers. Dr Ferenc Hudecz, former Rector of ELTE, led a debate with Stephen Knapp, President of George Washington University, on the feasibility of the alumni-programs of Confucius Institute with the contribution of Thai, Chinese, Australian, New Zealand, Ukraine and American participants.

The ELTE delegation also conducted talks with Xu Lin, the Director General of Hanban, about the institutes’ future plans.