The Online Confucius Institute at The Open University (OU), co-built by Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) and OU, was launched on May 13.

The Online Confucius Institute at OU is unveiled on May 13. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

The inauguration ceremony was attended by officials from OU and BFSU, as well as directors of other Confucius Institutes in the United Kingdom.

Yang Dan, president of BFSU and deputy Party secretary of the CPC BFSU committee, congratulates the establishment of the OU Online Confucius Institute in a video speech. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Tim Blackman, vice-chancellor of OU, congratulated the opening of the Online Confucius Institute in a video speech. He said the university’s advanced concepts and technologies in remote education will facilitate the development of the institute.

Yang Dan, president of BFSU and deputy Party secretary of the CPC BFSU committee, also gave congratulations on the establishment of the institute. He said OU’s missions echo BFSU values of sharing, exchanges as well as technology-powered and sustainable development.

The founding of the institute will expand interschool cooperation and collaboration between China and the UK in language education, cultural exchange and academic research, according to Yang.

Jia Wenjian, deputy Party secretary of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, reviewed the communication between the two universities in recent years. As the education sector continues to be more intelligent and digitalized, online learning with openness and flexibility will bring great prospects to international Chinese education, Jia said.

BFSU will work with OU to support the future development of the institute, Jia added.

Following Jia’s talk, representatives from the OU expressed best wishes for the establishment of the institute, as well as expectations for in-depth cooperation and reciprocal visits between the two universities.

Representatives from BFSU and OU attend the first council meeting of the OU Online Confucius Institute. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

The ceremony was followed by the institute’s first council meeting. Council members from both sides deliberated over and approved its work plan and budget report in 2022.

Roger Ames, chairman of the International Confucian Association, gave a lecture entitled Confucian China in Changing World Cultural Order. He analyzed Confucian philosophy which values interpersonal relationship and suggested that countries all over the world should strengthen communication.

BFSU and OU signed a cooperative agreement in December 2021 to build the OU Online Confucius Institute. It is BFSU’s first Online Confucius Institute.

The unveiling ceremony of the OU Online Confucius Institute is attended by officials from OU and BFSU, as well as directors of other Confucius Institutes in the UK. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]