Representatives of Shandong University (SDU) and the University of Belgrade (UB) joined an online meeting to sign an agreement for the construction of a Confucius Institute in Belgrade, capital of Serbia, on Dec 14.

The signing ceremony for establishing a Confucius Institute in Belgrade, Serbia is held online on Dec 14. [Photo/sdu.edu.cn]

The president of SDU, Li Shucai, thanked those who had helped with the collaboration at the ceremony and expressed his hope that the two universities would fully use their advantages in humanities, particularly in Chinese subjects. Li also said that the combined efforts of the two universities will result in the cultivation of more competent professionals who are proficient in Chinese culture and language and are capable of managing multi-national endeavors.

Vladan Jorgic, the president of UB, held that the establishment of the Confucius Institute would help to close the cultural gap between Serbians and Chinese, and that working with SDU, which is located in Shandong, where Confucius was born and where Confucianism originated, would be particularly significant.

At the same time, Zhao Lingshan, vice-president and secretary-general of the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF), said that CIEF would operate the Confucius Institute, and it would give full support for the sustainable development of the Confucius Institute in Serbia.