Egypt and China signed a protocol yesterday at the Chinese
Embassy in Cairo for setting up an Egyptian-Chinese university,
which would be home for a Confucius Institute.
The protocol was signed between Liaoning University based in
northeast China and the International Education Institution of
Egypt.
Wang Shan, CPC (Communist Party of China) secretary of Liaoning
University, said the signing ceremony marked the beginning of the
program to set up the Egyptian-Chinese University in Egypt and the
initiation of the construction of the Confucius Institute, which,
according to their initial agreement, would be completed and put
into use in May, 2007.
The to-be-built Confucius Institute is set to help more
Egyptians learn about China and its culture, and further enhance
Sino-Egyptian exchange and cooperation, said Wang.
Karima Abd El-Karim, chairwoman of the International Education
Institution of Egypt, said the program to set up the
Egyptian-Chinese University had received vigorous support from both
governments of Egypt and China.
The launch of the building of the Confucius Institute in Egypt
is also one of the fruits brought about by Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak's recent China tour, Abd El-Karim said.
Mubarak went to Beijing on November 3 and attended the two-day
Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which is
seen as an important conference to promote a new Sino-African
strategic partnership and strengthen cooperation between China and
Africa.
Abd El-Karim said the development of Egyptian-China relations
had resulted in wider and deeper bilateral cooperation in such
fields as economy, politics and education, which subsequently
entailed more Egyptians who know the Chinese language.
Chinese Ambassador to Egypt, Wu Sike, said after the signing
ceremony that the launch of the cooperation program came against
the backdrop of a very good diplomatic atmosphere as the two
nations were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment
of ties.
Education cooperation was not only an important part of
bilateral cooperation, but an important element to guarantee a
long-term development of Sino-Egyptian friendship, said Wu.
Liaoning University and Egypt's International Education
Institution first signed a cooperation agreement in April 2005 on
the building of the Egyptian-Chinese University in Egypt.
Confucius, born in 551 BC, was a great Chinese thinker,
philosopher, statesman and educator. He was also the founder of
Confucianism.
Advocating the building of a harmonious society through
individual's self-refinement in manners and taste, Confucianism
dominated the Chinese society for centuries, and was spread to
Europe in the late 16th century.
In an effort to promote the Chinese language and culture abroad,
the Chinese government plans to set up 100 Confucius Institutes
around the world to help foreigners learn Chinese and understand
Chinese culture.
So far some 80 Confucius Institutes have been set up in about 36
countries and regions and up to 100 organizations from some 40
nations have applied to set up Confucius Institutes.
(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2006)
