The growth of the Confucius Institute idea, spreading Chinese culture and, to a lesser extent language, around the world is fascinating. Now Chile is to get its second Confucius Institute which will be opened in the Catholic University.
The Catholic university and the Chinese Embassy in Chile worked together and it should open in March 2009 to promote Chinese language and culture.
The institute will be chaired by an academic committee which includes representatives from the Catholic University and the Chinese Embassy.
An executive director is to be appointed for the institute and Chinese professors who speak Spanish will be sent to teach in Chile.
The university has already signed agreements with six Chinese higher educational institutions on personnel exchange and co-investigation and is now having programs on Asian study and offering Chinese courses to Chilean students.
The Confucius Institute Headquarters is a non-profit institute under the Chinese Ministry of Education. It sponsors courses of Chinese language and culture to promote better understanding of the Chinese language and culture around the world. It now has more than 260 headquarters in 75 countries.
Source: China View