The Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) and Hangzhou Dianzi University (HDU) of China signed today on June 20, 2023, an agreement for the establishment of the Confucius Institute.
The agreement was signed by Rector Panayiotis Zafiris of CUT and Rector ZHU Zefei of HDU. Chinese ambassador to Cyprus, Liu Yantao was also present during the signing ceremony.
“The Confucius Institute at CUT will serve as a dedicated centre and offer a range of language courses, cultural activities, academic exchanges, and research initiatives. Through these activities, the Institute aims to cultivate intercultural competencies, promote academic cooperation and deepen understanding and appreciation of the Chinese language, traditions and heritage in the Cypriot community,” CUT said in a press release.
The ambassador of China to Cyprus, Liu Yantao, emphasised the significance of the Confucius Institute in enhancing cultural ties, saying: “The establishment of the Confucius Institute at Cyprus University of Technology marks a new chapter in the cultural exchange between China and Cyprus. This institute will serve as a bridge for cultural understanding and promote people-to-people connections. It is a testament to the enduring friendship between our nations.”
Confucius Institutes are public educational and cultural promotion programmes under the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.
Officials from China have compared Confucius Institutes to language and culture promotion organizations such as Portugal’s Instituto Camões, Britain’s British Council, France’s Alliance Française, Italy’s Società Dante Alighieri, Spain’s Instituto Cervantes and Germany’s Goethe-Institut.
Confucius Institutes have been accused to be used as a form of “soft power” by the Chinese government. Being affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education, CIs have received increasing scepticism over its censorship of content taught, such as topics related to individual freedoms and democracy, Tiananmen Square protests, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang.
Li Changchun, a top official in the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party said in 2007 that the Confucius Institutes were “an important part of China’s overseas propaganda set-up”.
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“One China, one Cyprus”: PRC ambassador calls for deepening of bilateral ties
