NBGD: Ningbo Welcomes Global Partners to Join the Belt and Road Effort
NINGBO, China, Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Located in downtown Sofia, the China Cultural Center is a distinctive Chinese symbol in Bulgaria. The Center was jointly built by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the Ningbo Municipal People's Government. Officially inaugurated in November 2017, it is the first cultural center established by China in Central and Eastern Europe. Over the past four years, the Sofia China Cultural Center has organized a number of exhibitions, performances and Chinese culture promotion activities; it has also become a platform for promoting Ningbo culture internationally.
At the same time, the Chinese language is gaining popularity in Bulgaria. Aksinia Koleva, Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, said that as the first Confucius Institute in Eastern Europe, the Confucius Institute in Sofia was established in cooperation with Beijing Foreign Studies University on June 9, 2006. This Institute serves as a "Chinese bridge" for cultural exchanges around the world, especially in countries along the Belt and Road. As a Bulgarian with a strong interest in Chinese language and literature, Aksinia admitted that "nowadays, the Confucius Institute in Sofia has become a leading educational and cultural center in Bulgaria, presenting Chinese language and culture to the Bulgarian people."
As a matter of fact, Ningbo has maintained close cooperation with Bulgaria and other CEECs in science, education, culture, people-to-people exchanges and many other fields. In 2017, the first Belt and Road Alliance for Industry and Education Collaboration and the Silk Road Business School Alliance were established in Ningbo. The Ningbo University of Technology, Ningbo University of Finance and Economics and other Chinese educational institutions have actively advanced joint learning programs with CEE schools at all levels. The city of Ningbo offers special scholarships for CEE students. So far, 56 CEE students have won the scholarships, reaching a total amount of over 800,000 yuan. In the field of education alone, 18 cooperation agreements have been signed between Ningbo and CEECs.
"The Belt and Road Initiative offers a valuable solution to the global division of labor", said Zahari Zahariev, Chairman of Bulgaria National Association for the Belt and Road. He added that "Bulgaria is probably the first European country to establish a national association for the Belt and Road. As a public institution and an NGO, the Association is also committed to attracting talented individuals, outstanding businesses, and cultural representatives."
SOURCE NBGD
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