Taiyuan University of Technology Communist Party Secretary Wu Yucheng Visits Confucius Institute at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies in Jamaica

From the 16^th to the 21^st of May, Wu Yucheng, the Communist Party Secretary at Taiyuan University of Technology, paid a visit to the Confucius Institute at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies in Jamaica (UWI Confucius Institute). Joining him was Ren Xiying, the  communist party office director, Chen Shaoping, the deputy dean of the college of international education exchange, and Hou Tao, the deputy dean of the college of foreign languages.

During his visit, Wu Yucheng attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the teaching building for the UWI Confucius Institute: the first Confucius Institute in the Caribbean. When completed, the teaching building will be a landmark symbolizing the friendship between China and Jamaica. The ceremony was attended by representatives from a great many organisations. These included the Chinese embassy in Jamaica, the Mona campus of the UWI, the Planning Institution, and the Jamaican government departments of Education, and Diplomacy and Trade, as well as a number of Chinese Businesses.

TYUT and the UWI held the 2018 Confucius institute working conference, which was attended by UWI president Archibald McDonald, Vice-president Ishenkumba Kahwa, and Waibinte Wariboko, dean of the College of Humanities. Professor McDonald extended a warm welcome to the delegation from TYUT and expressed his appreciation for the positive role the Confucius Institute has had in improving Chinese learning at the UWI and further contributing to educational progress. Professor Kahwa noted that high-level exchanges such as that between TYUT and the UWI contribute to introducing new theories on university management, and improving teaching practices and research techniques. He expressed the hope for broader, deeper cooperation in scientific research and student exchange between the two universities.

Wu Yucheng conveyed his appreciation for the cooperation with UWI and introduced TYUT to the audience, highlighting its achievements, majors, teaching staff, scientific researching, international exchange and cooperation, and the construction of Confucius Institute. He went on to declare his hope that communication between both sides would continue to be strengthened. In particular, he wished for the two universities to continue actively exploring innovative development, which he was sure would inject new impetus into an even more substantive and mutually beneficial relationship. Following this, Professor Wu expressed a desire for TYUT and the UWI to continue to help each other develop their educational methods, before addressing concerns common to the two parties.

Wu Yucheng also met with ambassador Tian Qi at the Chinese Embassy in Jamaica, communicating the operational situation and future planning of the UWI Confucius Institution. Tian Qi made assurances that the embassy would actively support the development of the Confucius Institution. The two sides then exchanged views on  preparations for the 10th anniversary celebration of the Confucius institute.