Zhang Huanzhou, President and Deputy Party Secretary of ZISU, signed an agreement in Beijing on March 18 with Yang Wei, Chairman of the China International Chinese Education Foundation (CICEF), and Lexy Concepciónes Medina Mejía, Rector of the Francisco Morazán National Pedagogical University (UNFM) in Honduras. They agreed to co-establish a Confucius Institute in Honduras. With theconfermentof the authorizationcertificate, thiseventmarks the first Confucius Institute established in Honduras since the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras on March 26, 2023.
Salvador Moncada, Ambassador of Honduras to China, Zhao Lingshan, Secretary-General of CICEF, Hermes Aldúvin Díaz Luna, Vice-Rector of UNFM, and officials from the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs witnessed the signing and plaque-awarding ceremony and participated in the discussion.
Yang noted that the establishment of Honduras' first Confucius Institute is a gift to mark the second anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras, symbolizing a new phase in educational cooperation between the two countries. He hoped that UNFM and ZISU would cooperate closely to launch the Confucius Institute as soon as possible. The Foundation will join hands with partners from all sectors in China and Honduras to support the sustainable and high-quality development of the Confucius Institute.
Zhang introduced ZISU's educational mission and strengths. She mentioned that ZISU had already co-established Confucius Institutes with the National University of Equatorial Guinea and the Ministry of Education, Sports and Creative Industries of Antigua and Barbuda, which has injected momentum into the development of international Chinese education. ZISU will leverage its disciplinary expertise and talent pool to help the Confucius Institute in Honduras to build an innovative Chinese teaching model, support the development of high-quality teaching staff and a resource library, facilitate friendly exchanges between Central America and Zhejiang (and China at large), and strive to develop the Confucius Institute in Honduras into a hub for Chinese education in Central America, a cradle for Chinese language teachers, and a model for foreign language education.
Moncada stated that he was honored to witness the signing of the agreement for Honduras' first Confucius Institute. The Institute holds great significance for his country’s educational opening-up and exchange cooperation. It will serve as a vivid example of China-Honduras educational exchange and a milestone in the history of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. The Honduran Embassy in China will fully support the construction and development of the Confucius Institute.
Lexy Concepciónes Medina Mejía said that UNFM is a university dedicated to cultivating various educational talents at all levels in Honduras. The university is delighted to establish a partnership with CICEF and ZISU to jointly build the Confucius Institute. The Institute will not only provide a platform for local teachers, students and the public to learn Chinese and understand Chinese culture, but also serve as a bridge for China and Honduras to explore cooperation in various fields.
After the signing ceremony, Zhang and the Honduran delegation visited the China Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) to exchange views on the operation of the Confucius Institute and deepening of China-Honduras language exchange and cooperation.
Leaders from ZISU's Strategic Development Office,the Division of International Exchange and Cooperation, and the Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs, attended the event.
CN
