Romania opens fifth Confucius Institute

IASI, Romania, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Romania's fifth Confucius Institute was inaugurated in the northeastern Iasi city on Thursday.

As the first Romanian Confucius Institute featuring traditional Chinese medicine, it was jointly established by the "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iasi (UMF Iasi) and China's Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST).

UMF Iasi Rector Viorel Scripcariu expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, and highlighted the significance of the institute and its uniqueness of integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine into the university's curriculum.

The institute "has a large infrastructure. Speaking from the medical point of view, I am absolutely sure that (it) will be a success for both parts of this partnership," Scripcariu said.

Chinese Ambassador to Romania Han Chunlin said the inauguration was a significant achievement in bilateral cultural exchanges and the institute a place for mutual cultural learning.

Han underscored the role of languages as a conduit for genuine communication, expressing optimism that the institute would facilitate deeper collaboration between the two countries' medical universities.

Han voiced the hope that the institute will open new avenues for collaboration between China and Romania, and for education combining medical science and Chinese language, and prepare even more talented professionals with a high level of Chinese language proficiency and medical training.

Ma Jianhui, vice president of the HUST University, said the establishment of the institute is a significant step in strengthening educational and cultural ties between the two countries.

"HUST and UMF Iasi came together firmly and bravely with common intention and mutual trust, joining hands to set up the first Confucius Institute in Northeast Romania," he said.

In a video speech, Zhao Lingshan, secretary-general of the Chinese International Education Foundation, outlined the institute's objectives, including providing high-quality Chinese education with a focus on traditional Chinese medicine and fostering cross-cultural exchanges.

Established in 1879, UMF Iasi stands as a prominent public medical university, encompassing various fields such as medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and biomedical engineering.