Ding Hao, a member of the standing committee of the CPC committee of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) and vice-president of the university, led a team to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from May 22 to 26.

Representatives from BFSU attend the signing ceremony for the international Chinese learning projects Hand in Hand and You Are Great on May 22. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Ding attended the signing ceremony for the international Chinese learning projects Hand in Hand and You Are Great at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on May 22. He reviewed major achievements made by China and the UAE in culture, education and publishing, and introduced the disciplinary development and talent cultivation at BFSU, as well as the outcomes yielded by its Arabic major and the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP) in promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries in recent years.

BFSU and the FLTRP have actively responded to the Belt and Road Initiative, paid close attention to the actual needs of Arabic speaking countries for Chinese education, and developed various teaching resources, Ding said.

Ding added he hopes that the two sets of Chinese textbooks targeting Arabic speaking countries will help Arab children understand China and boost the high-quality development of Chinese education there.

Representatives from BFSU visit ZU on May 23. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

During the visit to Zayed University (ZU) on May 23, the team attended the council meeting of the Confucius Institute at ZU, and reached a consensus with the university on strengthening cooperation in course sharing, exchange programs, building overseas internship bases, training talents, and introducing renowned scholars.

Representatives from BFSU visit the Chinese embassy in the UAE on May 23. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

At the Chinese embassy in the UAE, the team exchanged views with Zhang Yiming, ambassador of China to the UAE, on strengthening educational cooperation between BFSU and UAE universities, promoting China-UAE cultural exchanges, and boosting the development of Confucius Institutes, overseas Chinese language education and Arabic language education in China.

Representatives from BFSU visit the Confucius Institute teaching spot at the Dubai campus of ZU on May 24. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

While visiting the Confucius Institute teaching spot at the Dubai campus of ZU on May 24, team members discussed the characteristics and sustainable development of the institute, including its construction into a demonstration Confucius Institute.

Representatives from BFSU visit the Chinese School Dubai on May 25. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Ding met with Vice-Principal Zhou Jianfen at the Chinese School Dubai on May 25. They talked about Sino-foreign cooperative education, overseas Chinese language education, the introduction of overseas teachers, and the publication of overseas textbooks.

Representatives from BFSU visit the China North Industries Corporation UAE representative office on May 24. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Ding Hao (R), a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, unveils the Dubai Center for Overseas Internship at the China-Arab Investment Funds on May 25. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Ding Hao (R), a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, unveils the Dubai Center for Overseas Internship at the Middle East Branch of CITIC Construction Co Ltd on May 25. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

During their trip in the UAE, team members also visited international offices of Chinese enterprises. They discussed the establishment of overseas internship bases at the China North Industries Corporation UAE representative office and unveiled the Dubai Center for Overseas Internship at the China-Arab Investment Funds and the Middle East Branch of CITIC Construction Co Ltd.