The parallel session on the "Application and Practice of Digital Intelligence at Confucius Institutes", jointly organized by the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF) and the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), was successfully held on the morning of November 16th in Beijing. The session aimed to advance the digital-intelligent innovation and practice of CIs and promote the global sharing of their achievements.
In his opening address, Zhao Lingshan, Vice President and Secretary-General of the CIEF, emphasized that CIs have always prioritized digital-intelligent development and innovation, firmly implementing and promoting new technologies, concepts, and models in digital-intelligent education. The Foundation remains committed to advancing the CI strategies of digital-intelligent development, designating 2025–2027 as the "Digital-Intelligent Thematic Years." By strengthening exemplary leadership, fostering collaborative sharing, and driving digital-intelligent upgrades, the initiative aims to make Chinese language teaching smarter, cultural exchanges more dynamic, and collaborative ecosystems more integrated. Therefore, it will contributes CI wisdom to the pivotal question of "What role should education play in the digital-intelligent era?"
Zhao Lingshan, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF)
Yang Renshu, President of USTB, highlighted the university's profound legacy in international exchanges and extensive experience in global cooperation, noting its unique role in promoting Chinese language education worldwide and facilitating mutual learning among civilizations. USTB leverages its technological strengths to innovate Chinese language education, collaborating with the Foundation to establish the Confucius Institute Digital Technology Research Center. The university is deeply involved in the overall planning of the CI digital platform to support the global digital transformation of CIs.
Yang Renshu, President of University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB)
Li Qiang, Deputy Director of the China Internet Network Information Center, stated that over the years, the Center has led the establishment of a globally unified Chinese character set for the Internet, conducted research on internationalized multilingual domain name standards, and promoted the inclusion of the ".cn" domain name into the global internet root system. Chinese domain names, represented by ".cn," serve as fundamental internet resources that showcase the unique charm of Chinese culture, laying a solid foundation for the global presence of Chinese language and empowering digital communications in Chinese language worldwide.
Li Qiang, Deputy Director of China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC)
During the session, CIEF and the China Internet Network Information Center signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement and officially launched the Chinese domain name "ci.cn" for the Confucius Institute Global Portal.
Signing ceremony
Official Launch of Chinese Domain Name
The session also featured an award ceremony for the first "Case Collection Campaign of the Digital Application and Practice at Confucius Institutes", where 20 CIs and Classrooms received Model Case Awards, with six representatives sharing their experiences on site. On behalf of the event partners, Beijing Wanfang Data Co., Ltd. introduced how data building supports CI development.
The First Award Ceremony for Demonstration Cases of Digital Application and Practice in Confucius Institutes
Yang Cuiyan, Chinese Director of the Confucius Classroom at the Private Supplementary Education "Confucius" Oriental Language and Culture Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia
Zhao Siting, Executive Chair of Teaching at Leicester Chinese Teaching Center, De Montfort University (DMU), UK
Zeng Guangyu, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at University of Rwanda (UR)
Yang Songfang, Chinese Director of TAG Confucius Institute in Amman, Jordan
Yang De, Local Director of Confucius Institute in Madrid, Spain
Mai Qiulin, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at University of Costa Rica (UCR)
Hu Hongliang, General Manager of Beijing Wanfang Data Co., Ltd.
Liu Yingjia, Deputy Director of the Division of Digitalization and Innovation of CIEF, chaired the conference
