New Confucius institute to enhance mutual understanding

The scheduled opening of a new Confucius Institute in Colombia next year would bring the country closer to China, the institute's Colombian dean said.

While offering language teaching, the institute, slated to open in mid-2013 at Jorge Tadeo Lozano University (UJTL), would strive to enhance the mutual understanding between the two countries, Enrique Posada Cano, an Chinese culture expert, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

It would also help UJTL's integration into the global network of the Confucius institutes, he added.

The new institute at UJTL would be supported by China's Tianjin Foreign Studies University and China's embassy in Bogota.

The UJTL has been offering Chinese-language classes taught by native speakers since 2008. The courses would officially become part of the university curriculum when the institute is able to issue the Chinese language proficiency certificate (HSK).

The Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, which runs the Confucius Institute network, offers scholarships for outstanding Colombian students to attend summer camps at Tianjin University in northern China.