On the afternoon of March 26, the first Board Meeting of the Confucius Institute at Ateneo de Davao University (CI-AdDU), co-established by Huaqiao University (HQU) in China and Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) in the Philippines, was held online. The meeting was attended by Mr. Zeng Lu, Vice President of HQU and Vice Chair of the Chinese side of CI-AdDU, along with the Chinese Director of CI and staff from the Chinese Language Education Office; Fr. Joel E. Tabora, President of AdDU and Chair of the Philippine side of CI-AdDU; Dr. Jenner Y. Chan, Dean of the School of Business and Governance and Vice Chair of the Philippine side of CI-AdDU; Dr. Gina Montalan, Vice President of AdDU; Mr. Romulo Vinci Bueza, Director of the Mindanao Internationalization Office and Assistant for Foreign Affairs; and Dr. Maricar Gay V. Panda, Philippine Director of CI.

Zeng Lu, in his speech, expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to the establishment of CI-AdDU and recognized the institute's achievements over the past year. He highlighted the importance of strengthening collaboration between HQU and AdDU, as well as between the Chinese and Filipino directors of CI, to jointly advance its future development.

Fr. Tabora stated that CI is currently facing a shortage of teachers due to the pandemic, but all parties have been working together to overcome these challenges and actively push forward various initiatives. He expressed his hope that the collaboration between HQU and AdDU would foster cross-cultural understanding, deepen international and regional cooperation and exchange, and strengthen mutual consensus.

During the meeting, the Chinese and Filipino directors of CI-AdDU presented their 2020 work reports, highlighting the establishment of CI, reviewing the Chinese language teaching and cultural activities conducted so far, as well as other collaborative initiatives, and outlining the work plans for the upcoming academic year.

The board members reviewed the 2020 work reports and discussed the 2021 development plan for CI-AdDU. Fr. Tabora emphasized the importance of maintaining close communication between Filipino and Chinese board members, leveraging CI as a platform to strengthen friendship and dialogue between the two nations. Dr. Gina reaffirmed AdDU's commitment to fully supporting CI's initiatives, including the introduction of Chinese language programs in its Junior and Senior High Schools. Dr. Jenner Chan highlighted that CI not only promotes the learning of the Chinese language but also facilitates cultural exchange. He suggested that HQU send more international Chinese volunteer teachers to CI to conduct language instruction and cultural exchange activities. Additionally, he proposed organizing HSK exams to assess the proficiency levels of local Chinese learners through standardized testing.

Representing the Mindanao Internationalization Office, Mr. Romulo expressed his unwavering support for CI-AdDU and his commitment to helping resolve visa processing challenges faced by Chinese teachers. He emphasized the vast potential of the Mindanao region and shared his vision for launching more projects in the future to facilitate exchange programs for Filipino and Chinese university students, thereby strengthening cultural ties between the Philippines and China.

Zeng Lu concluded by highlighting the strong foundation of collaboration between HQU and AdDU. He expressed confidence that, through the combined efforts of both institutions, CI-AdDU would continue to thrive and achieve even greater success.