On 30 June 2015, the Unveiling Ceremony on the establishment of ASEAN-China Chinese Language and Culture Education Base was held at Tianjin International Chinese College (TICC) and attended by Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, the Philippine Ambassador to China H.E. Mme. Erlinda F. Basilio, Director-General of Tianjin Municipal Education Commission Mr. Wang Jing, Deputy Director of Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Tianjin government, President of TICC Mr. Zhao Hongtao, officials representing the Embassies of Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam, as well as TICC faculty members and students.
Mr. Wang Jing first welcomed all the guests to Tianjin and TICC. He briefly introduced the development and advantages of education in Tianjin, wishing more ASEAN students could study in China in the future. Secretary-General Yang Xiuping and President of TICC, Mr. Zhao Hongtao, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of ASEAN-China Chinese Language and Culture Education Base and unveiled the plaque marking the official establishment of the Base. The Base will facilitate ASEAN nationals who are keen to study Chinese language with scholarships, organize summer/winter camps for ASEAN youth to better understand China, provide training courses for teachers who are teaching Chinese in ASEAN countries, design short-term courses of Chinese language and culture for diplomats in ASEAN embassies in Beijing, and also hold various activities to promote cultural awareness. Secretary-General Yang and President Zhao of TICC also presented scholarship quota cards to representatives from ASEAN embassies, for their nationals to study in TICC this year.
In her remarks, Secretary-General Yang expressed that, ACC had been relentless in serving the government, institutions and students from ASEAN and China and actively taking part in the process of reinvigorating education exchanges between ASEAN and China. Secretary-General Yang was pleased to note that the Base would contribute substantively to the promotion of people-to-people exchanges between ASEAN and China, and expressed her gratitude to Tianjin Municipal Education Commission and ASEAN embassies for their support.
Representing the ASEAN embassies in China, the Philippine Ambassador to China H.E. Mme. Erlinda F. Basilio delivered a speech and congratulated on the establishment of the Base that would provide more opportunities for ASEAN youth to learn Chinese language and culture and foster mutual understanding. She also thanked ACC and TICC for providing the scholarships to each embassy, and wished the Base would be successful.
After the Ceremony, officials from ASEAN embassies and ACC had the opportunity to experience Chinese culture and were briefly introduced to some of the courses at TICC, such as happy learning Chinese, calligraphy, hand-printed fans, miraculous bronzes, Chinese Wushu, Chinese costume dressing and tea ceremony. ASEAN officials also interacted with the students from various countries studying at TICC. The ASEAN officials also experienced the HKC (Oral Chinese Test) examinations and were awarded certificates by TICC. Following the Ceremony, ACC, ASEAN and TICC officials exchanged views on ways to strengthen cooperation following and to fully utilize the Base.
After the Ceremony, Secretary-General Yang also met with Mr Liu Xin, Deputy Director-General of Tianjin Municipal Education Commission. The two sides expressed their commitment to further enhance education exchanges between Tianjin and ASEAN countries.
The TICC, established and operated by Tianjin Municipal Education Commission, provides Chinese language courses for foreign students studying in China, services for Chinese students studying abroad, short-term cultural experience projects for foreign students, and one-stop service for foreign students in preparatory class for undergraduate study. TICC is also famous for its scientific method and effectiveness in teaching Chinese language.
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