Vice Premier Liu Yandong Visits Amman TAG Confucius Institute of Jordan

On the afternoon of Apr. 20th, local time, visiting Vice Premier Liu Yandong inspected Amman TAG Confucius Institute of Jordan. Jiang Xiaojuan, Deputy Secretary General of the State Council, Zhang Ming, Vice Foreign Minister, Tian Xuejun, Vice Education Minister, Yu Weiping, Vice Finance Minister, Pan Weifang, Chinese Ambassador to Jordan, Ma Jianfei, Deputy Chief Executive of Confucius Institute Headquarters, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of TAG-Org, Adel Tweissi, Jordanian Minister of Higher Education, Omar Al Razzaz, Jordanian Minister of Education accompanied Vice Premier Liu Yandong.

At about 4 p.m., Vice Premier Liu Yandong and her delegation arrived at the Confucius Institute. Amid the folk music played by local musicians, teachers and students welcomed the distinguished guests from China with their sincere smiles and waving national flags of the two countries.

Liu Yandong and her delegation watched the exhibition of academic achievements of the Confucius Institute. Then, as she walked into the auditorium, the whole audience got excited. Jordanian young people sang Chinese songs, performed Beijing Operas and Tai-chi, and demonstrated Chinese calligraphy. The third-place winner of the “Chinese Bridge” Speech Contest in Jordan and Confucius Institute scholarship winner Sarah gave a passionate speech entitled “The Chinese Dream of a Jordanian Student”. Everyone in the audience was moved by the beautiful chorus of “The Same Sound”.

Liu Yandong delivering her speech

Liu Yandong delivered a warm speech, and she pointed out that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-Jordan diplomatic relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanges congratulatory messages with King Abdullah II Bin Hussein of Jordan. They highly evaluate the continuous development of bilateral relations and the profound friendship between the two peoples, expressing the commitment to furthering bilateral strategic partnership for the better benefit of the two countries and their peoples. Liu Yandong’s visit aims to consolidate traditional friendship between China and Jordan, so as to promote bilateral relations for greater development.

Liu Yandong emphasized that, State-to-state relations thrive when there is friendship between the peoples. And such friendship grows out of close interactions between the peoples. Therefore people-to-people and cultural exchanges play an irreplaceable role in the development of China-Jordan relations. With China-Jordan cooperation deepening, more Jordanian young people begin to learn Chinese. The two Confucius Institutes in Jordan have made great contributions to meeting Jordanian people’s demand of learning Chinese and facilitating the people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries. They not only help Jordanian people learn Chinese and understand Chinese culture, but also actively promote practical cooperation in other fields.

Liu Yandong donating 2,000 copies of Chinese cultural reading materials to the TAG Confucius Institute

Liu Yandong hoped that, China and Jordan can sincerely cooperate with each other to better run the institute, and cultivate more envoys for China-Jordan friendship. At the end of the event, on behalf of the Chinese Government and the Confucius Institute Headquarters, Liu Yandong announced to donate 2,000 copies of Chinese cultural reading materials to the TAG Confucius Institute, invite 50 Jordanian young people to take part in the “Chinese Bridge” Summer Camp, and provide 20 Confucius Institute scholarships to Jordanian young people.

Group photo of Liu Yandong with teachers and students of the Confucius Institute

TAG is the largest company offering consulting services in the Arab region. The TAG Confucius Institute was established in 2008 in collaboration with Shenyang Normal University, and it is the first Confucius Institute founded by Chinese university and international company around the world. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of TAG-Org, is currently a senator of the Jordanian Senate, and was awarded the “Award for Outstanding Contribution to China-Arab Friendship” during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Egypt in 2016.