On Monday, February 7, 2022, the Rector of the University of the Aegean, Prof. Chryssi Vitsilaki met with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Greece, Mr. Xiao Junzheng.
H.E. the Ambassador expressed his satisfaction as well as his full support to the Rector of the University of the Aegean, the Chinese Language Learning Center and the Ministry of Education of China. The University of the Aegean is the first University in the world that implemented the “Online Chinese Classroom” model. This new teaching model from China has been widely promoted around the world and provides a new approach to Chinese language learning. The Chinese Embassy in Greece stated its full support to the University of Aegean for the enrichment of the existing program and the development and implementation of new curricula tailored to the needs of individual sectors and institutions within the wider community.
The Ambassador stressed the importance for the new generation of China and Greece to learn each other’s language in order to establish friendships and bonds between the two countries. He maintained that it is particularly encouraging that more and more young Greeks are learning Chinese and that more and more students from China are choosing to study in Greece.
The Rector, on her part, thanked the Ambassador for the full support of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in promoting the innovative project of implementing the University of the Aegean’s “Online Chinese Classroom” program. Having successfully completed three semesters of Chinese language learning, the participants of the program showed great progress in learning the language and achieved excellent results in the China Bridge competition, as well as in the HSK certification test.
The Rector expressed her desire and intention for the expansion of the existing program through the design and implementation of corresponding online programs focused on tourism and other sectors. Finally, the Rector informed the Ambassador that the Senate of the University of the Aegean has established the Sino-Hellenic Centre for Language and Culture which is expected to expand the fields of cooperation in multiple ways.
