2019 Annual Board Meeting of the Opole Confucius Institute of Beijing University of Technology (BJUT), was held in BJUT on December 12. Professor Liu Gonghui, President & Deputy Party Secretary of BJUT, Vice-President Guo Fu, and Grzegorz Krolczy, Vice-President of Opole University of Technology, attended the meeting. Council members of the Confucius Institutes of both universities also participated in the meeting. President Liu Gonghui expressed a warm welcome to Vice-president Grzegorz Krolczy and his delegation and fully affirmed the positive progress made by the Opole Confucius Institute in teaching Chinese and spreading Chinese culture, as well as the important role in promoting Higher Educational exchanges and cooperation between China and Poland. He hoped that the Opole Confucius Institute can fully rely on the platform built by the Sino-Polish University Consortium to promote the construction of the Confucius Classrooms, continue to expand its influence in the new stage of development, enhance the level and quality of students, and earnestly implement the Belt and Road Initiative and strengthen People-to-People Bonds between two countries.

Vice-president Grzegorz Krolczy expressed his heartfelt gratitude for BJUT’s warm reception and offered his congratulations on the convening of the 2019 Annual Board Meeting. He noted that as one of the most influential bases of Chinese teaching and cultural transmission in Poland, the Opole Confucius Institute plays a significant role in promoting exchanges between two countries in education, scientific research, economy, and culture. Opole University of Technology will continue to support the construction of the Confucius Institute in all aspects, actively promote the development of the Sino-Polish University Consortium, and deepen the exchanges and cooperation between China and Poland in higher education.

During the meeting, Gong Wenjing, Chinese Director of Opole Confucius Institute and Liaison Commissioner of BJUT in Central and Eastern Europe Liaison Office, gave a report on teaching activities and cultural events in 2019. Ewa Jakuczek, Polish Director of the Opole Confucius Institute, reported the financial affairs in 2019. In addition, the attendees had in-depth discussions on the future plan of the Confucius Institute, construction of the Confucius Classrooms, development of the Sino-Polish University Consortium, and preparations for the second “Linking Belt and Road, Bonding Tech and Heart” International Academic conference. Both universities also exchanged views on how to diversify pragmatic cooperation and enhance teacher exchanges and cooperation in scientific research.

In February 2019, the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) officially approved the application of three Confucius Classrooms made by the Opole Confucius Institute. The three classrooms are located at the University of Silesia, Silesia University of Technology and Bialystok University of Technology, respectively. As the founding of the classrooms, the enrollment increased 232.8% year-on-year to 1,015 people in 2019.