The Chinese Ministry of Education has approved setting up of two more Confucius institutes in Pakistan, according Pakistan’s Ambassador to the country, Masood Khan.
Writing in Pakistan’s Daily Times, Khan remarked on the cultural ties between the nations prior to new Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Pakistan on his first visit abroad, “which demonstrates the significance China attaches to its relations with us.”
“People-to-people contact remains crucial in strengthening ties between the two countries. In China, Pakistan Study Centres are housed in four prestigious Chinese universities — Peking, Tsinghua, Sichuan, and Fudan. I believe it would be a good idea to establish Pakistan-China centres in key Pakistani universities as well. In Pakistan we are encouraging the trend of learning the Chinese language and culture in Pakistani schools and colleges. This would produce a new generation of Pakistanis equipped with the skills to deal with the rising dragon more productively. To understand each other’s culture better, we are also making efforts to show our TV dramas in our respective countries. We plan to intensify interaction between media personnel, think tanks, and academic institutes. The presence of over 8,000 Pakistani students in China and establishment of academic linkages between our key universities is another shining aspect of our growing collaboration,” wrote the Ambassador.
