BEIJING, April 9 -- China's first training center for Confucius Institute teachers was established in a Beijing university on Thursday.

The center in Beijing Language and Culture University will provide language and culture training for teachers and volunteers of Confucius Institutes in different countries.

It is designed to train 3,500 teachers and volunteers each year.

Overseas branches will also be set up and online training will also be made available, said a spokesperson with the university.

An important function of the center is to standardize the examination for those who want to teach Chinese to foreigners, a move to improve the quality of the teaching pool, said the spokesperson.

Deriving its name from the renowned educator and philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC), Confucius Institutes are non-profit institutions under China's Ministry of Education that aim to promote Chinese language and culture abroad.

The first was set up in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, in 2004. China had opened 476 Confucius Institutes in 127 countries and regions by the end of last year.