On April 6, 2009, a Chinese Language Centre (CLC) was inaugurated in Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), the State of Tamil Nadu. H. E. Mr. Zhang Yan, Chinese Ambassador to India, graced the function as the chief guest, and government officials of Vellore District presented. Over 2,000 people, including representatives from Zhengzhou University of China which, as a partner of VIT, provides Chinese teachers to the Centre, and local guests from all walks of life attended the function. In his felicitation address, H. E. Amb. Zhang Yan noted that China and India have enjoyed friendly exchanges in the history and achieved common development through learning from each other. He described the launch of the CLC as another milestone in the cultural exchanges between the two countries, which will help enhance the knowledge of China on the part of the Indian people and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides. Echoing Zhang’s sentiments and good wishes, Mr. G. Viswanathan, Founder & Chancellor of VIT extended his deep gratitude to the Chinese side for choosing VIT as the seat of CLC. He reiterated his dedication to promoting India-China cooperation in the education field and making contributions to the development of bilateral relations. A bronze bust of Confucius, the famous ancient Chinese philosopher and educator, was also unveiled in the function.

　　According to the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOCFL) of China, recent years have seen an increase well above 50% for the number of people who are learning Chinese all over the world. The total sums up to 40 million. Approximately 2,500 universities or colleges in more than 100 countries offer Chinese courses. NOCFL have sent about 1,560 teachers to 109 countries and 2,000 volunteers to more than 40 countries. With the rapid development of all-round China-India relations, there is a growing demand for people who have a good command of the Chinese language in India. Nowadays, several universities such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Vishvabharati of Kolkata, etc. offer the Chinese language course for undergraduates and post-graduates. Other institutes and schools also have Chinese-related courses on a regular or irregular basis. In May 2007, the sixth Chinese Bridge Competition (India) which aims at arousing students interest in improving Chinese proficiency was held in New Delhi among more than 300 competitors. Every year, the Chinese-learning students who wish to get a relevant certificate need to take HSK test, namely, Chinese Proficiency Test. As the number of students who learn Chinese grows bigger, NOCFL will consider introducing HSK test into India.

　　Inspired by the trends of learning Chinese in India, H. E. Amb. Zhang Yan voiced his confidence about the prospect of Chinese Language Centre in VIT, as well as its contributions in deepening China-India friendship and promoting bilateral cultural, business and people-to-people contacts and cooperation. He reassured the role of the Chinese Embassy in India in facilitating the process and extended his best wishes to all the Indian students who have a keen interest in Chinese.

　　Links: Vellore Institute of Technology (http://www.vit.ac.in/)

　　Ministry of Education of P. R. China (http://www.moe.edu.cn/)