Confucius Institute opens at Belarusian National Technical University

The Belarusian National Technical University played host to a ceremony to open the Confucius Institute in Science and Technology, BelTA has learned.

The agreement to set up the Confucius Institute in Science and Technology was signed in December 2013. The partner of the Belarusian National Technical University is one of China’s leading technical universities – Northeastern University in Shenyang, Liaoning Province.

“Belarus and China have been steadily developing their all-round relations. We cooperate in different areas, including business, culture and education. The Confucius Institute in the Belarusian National Technical University is important for developing sci-tech cooperation between the two countries,” Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Cui Qiming.

Vice Premier Anatoly Tozik added for his part that the system of Confucius institutes in Belarus would secure educational, scientific and informational support to the whole range of bilateral relations between Belarus and China. “We will use these institutes to open departments and classes in other educational establishments, including in oblasts,” he noted.

The Belarusian university has been cooperating with Chinese provinces for more than 10 years. The Belarusian National Technical University has over 20 agreements in education and science with Chinese universities. There is a Chinese cultural and educational center Shanghai 2007 in the university. The technological cluster Politekhnik comprises a Belarusian-Chinese center on cooperation with five Chinese provinces. The center organizes sci-tech conferences, seminars, science days, educational exhibitions of Chinese universities and many more.

There is also the Belarusian-Chinese company, Road and Construction Innovations.

The Confucius Institute is a network of international cultural and educational centers set up by the Chinese state office for Chinese language promotion overseas. There are over 120 such centers worldwide.