Experts call for deepening cultural exchanges and educational cooperation between China, India

“The best way to enhance friendship and communication is to learn each other’s language and culture,” said Ma Jianfei, Deputy Chief Executive of Confucius Institute Headquarters, at a symposium held in Beijing on Aug. 11. “By enhancing cultural exchanges and educational cooperation, we hope stronger ties between China and India can be built.”

“Confucius Institute Headquarters is willing to maintain close ties with Indian educational circles, provide help for Indian students to learn Chinese, promote educational cooperation and cultural exchanges, and make positive contributions to consolidating and developing friendly relations between China and India,” Ma said.

(Photo/People's Daily Online)

Ramesh Kanwar, Vice-Chancellor of Lovely Professional University, said that last year, the Chinese embassy provided about 200 books of Chinese language, and a Chinese language center was also established in Lovely Professional University in India, which has great significance in helping students learn Chinese. As for future cooperation, he highlighted that further friendly relations between the two countries could be achieved through this program.

During the symposium, the Agreement of China Center at K. R. Mangram University in India was signed. Currently, there are two Confucius Institutes, three China Centers and two Confucius Classes in India.

Under the theme of "Innovative Development of Chinese and Indian Language Education,” the second Symposium on China-India Exchange and Cooperation in Language Education was held at the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing on Sunday.

More than 100 delegates from both India and China attended the symposium, including representatives from Confucius Institutes, experts and scholars in language and culture, representatives of the teaching faculty and students from eight Chinese universities and 18 Indian universities.

(Photo/People's Daily Online)

As an important high-level cultural exchange platform between China and India, this symposium serves as an opportunity to enhance cultural exchanges between the two countries. Through a series of exhibitions of Chinese language learning resources, interactive communication and panel discussions, representatives offered advice and suggestions on future China-India cultural exchanges as well as the development of friendship between the two countries.

Agreements have been made in enhancing youth exchange visits, training qualified language talents, and further improving language teaching to meet the growing need for cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and India.