China has consistently upheld the principles of openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, and win-win cooperation, while actively advancing international cooperation in Chinese language education, Vice President Han Zheng said in Beijing on Friday when he delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Chinese Language Conference.
Noting that President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to international Chinese education, Han said that Xi has written reply letters to overseas Chinese language students on several occasions, encouraging them to act as friendly envoys between China and other countries, and to make contributions to enhancing understanding and mutual trust, and people-to-people bonds.
Han put forward four proposals.
The first is to strengthen capacity building for international Chinese language education. To address the keen interest among people worldwide in learning Chinese and understanding China, Han said that China supports and serves the international community in delivering quality Chinese language education.
The second is to cultivate a solid foundation for people-to-people connectivity between China and other countries.
Han said that Chinese should serve as a bond for global learners to understand and experience China through language practice, and to enhance understanding and mutual trust through cultural and people-to-people exchanges, thereby promoting mutual acquaintance and affinity among peoples.
The third is to promote common development and mutual learning among civilizations.
Han called for using language as a bridge of communication to present a true, multi-dimensional and panoramic view of China to the world, while learning from and drawing on the fine achievements of civilizations around the world in an open mind.
The fourth is to better leverage the Chinese language to empower international cooperation.
Han said that China will share its own development opportunities with all parties, step up exchanges and sharing of development and governance experience, promote and carry forward the ideas and wisdom embodied in the Chinese language and Chinese civilization, and inject greater stability and positive energy to a changing and turbulent world.
The theme of the 2026 World Chinese Language Conference is "Chinese: More Than a Language," which is highly relevant, Han said.
He expressed his hope for attending guests to make good use of the platform offered by the conference, pooling insights and suggestions for the high-quality development of international Chinese language education and working together toward a better future for humanity.
The conference brings together around 2,000 participants, including government officials, experts, university leaders, and representatives of international organizations.
Prior to the opening ceremony, Han visited an exhibition of the conference.
China vows to actively promote cooperation in international Chinese language education
