A delegation led by Wang Xiuyan, deputy secretary of the CPC Beijing International Studies University (BISU) Committee, visited Portugal and Morocco from June 1 to 6 to promote local development of Confucius Institutes.

In Portugal, Wang, along with João Nuno Calvão da Silva, vice-rector of the University of Coimbra, and Chen Zhong, president of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, attended the 2026 Confucius Institute Council meeting and celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute at the University of Coimbra.

Wang Xiuyan (left), João Nuno Calvão da Silva and Chen Zhong pose for a group photo.

In her speech, Wang highlighted the institute's achievements over the past decade, emphasizing its role in meeting the local demand for Chinese language education in Portugal.

She acknowledged that the institute has trained over 1,000 students and its faculty and students have excelled in various Chinese cultural competitions, establishing a professional platform for learning Chinese language and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) culture.

Wang expressed hopes for continued collaboration among the three universities to strengthen the "Chinese + TCM" brand, expand Chinese teaching sites in local primary and secondary schools, cultivate local teachers, develop local teaching materials, and promote the localization of TCM courses. She also called for more innovative exchanges and richer cultural content to enhance Sino-Portuguese friendship and cultural exchange.

Additionally, the BISU delegation participated in the fourth Global TCM Confucius Institute Alliance Conference at the University of Coimbra.

Wang expressed BISU's willingness to further deepen collaboration with the University of Coimbra and other European universities in areas such as regional studies, language education, international communication, tourism culture, and China-Europe studies.

The BISU delegation has exchanges with the leaders of the University of Minho.

The delegation also visited to the University of Minho, a renowned public university in Portugal, where they introduced BISU's current talent training, discipline construction, and internationalization efforts, and encouraged Portuguese students to apply to study at BISU.

In Morocco, Wang and her team had exchanges with Mohammed Rhachi, president of Mohammed V University, and renewed the Confucius Institute agreement.

Wang Xiuyan (right) and Mohammed Rhachi renew the Confucius Institute agreement.

The delegation also engaged with the students at BISU College (Morocco) at the university, answering questions about courses, scholarship evaluations, Chinese language learning, and future development, while promoting the "Study in Beijing" and "Study at BISU" initiatives.

Meanwhile, the delegation visited the Africa-China Cooperation Association for Development to expand international educational resources in Africa. The two sides confirmed intentions for joint China-Africa cooperation projects and discussed potential collaborations in areas such as the "Mediterranean-China" cooperation network, enterprise overseas expansion, and industrial Chinese language.

This visit coincided with the 70th anniversary of China-Africa diplomatic relations, the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, the 10th anniversary of strategic partnerships between Morocco and China, and the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute at the University of Coimbra. It aimed to consolidate and expand partnerships with universities in Portugal and Morocco.