2008 Press Releases
29.08.2008
The Chinese Ambassador to Ireland, Mr Liu Biwei, visited UCC on Thursday, September 28th to meet the President of UCC, and to visit the Irish Institute of Chinese Studies, the UCC Confucius Institute and the International Education Office of UCC.
Dr Michael Murphy, the President of UCC, and His Excellency, Mr Liu, the Chinese Ambassador, both acknowledged the importance of education in Ireland and China.
Dr Murphy introduced UCC’s close relationship with China, especially Shanghai, the twinning city of Cork, Chinese partner universities and Chinese students who study at UCC. It is expected that some 250 Chinese students will be taking programmes in UCC in the coming year. The President assured the Ambassador that UCC has made every effort to ensure that the Chinese students who study at UCC have been and will be looked after and they will have a happy experience in UCC, academically, culturally and socially.
The President also stated that there has been a new development of Chinese Studies in UCC for Irish and European students in the past two years. The establishment of the Irish Institute of Chinese Studies (IICS) in 2006 and the establishment of UCC Confucius Institute (CI) in 2007 have opened a new field for promoting mutual understanding between China’s and Ireland’s young generation for the 21st century.
The IICS and CI are working together and have established themselves as dynamic institutions, introducing five undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes (BA, BCom, HDip, MA, MPhil/PhD) in Chinese Studies. To date more than 150 Irish/European students taking Chinese Studies degree courses and evening classes. The department has also been successful in recruiting excellent students from Ireland, Europe and China to its postgraduate courses. This summer students from the BA, MA and HDip in Chinese Studies courses travelled to China to study for periods ranging from three months to one year.
The IICS/CI also work with Cork City Council and schools to introduce Chinese language and culture to general public and schools.
The Chinese Ambassador warmly thanked the President of UCC, the members of the UMG and the Arts College for their strategic vision of the development of Chinese Studies at UCC, for their excellent support for IICS/CI at UCC. The Ambassador also thanked UCC for offering Chinese students an excellent experience during their time here. He expressed that he himself and the Chinese Embassy will work together with UCC to promote China and UCC link and to support the further development of IICS/CI in UCC.
The President of UCC informed the Ambassador that he will visit China in October 2008.
The following people attended the meeting: Mr. Zhengbing Xu, Commercial Counsellor; Mr. Huiqing Dong, First Secretary for Education & Culture; Mr. Tony Wang, Third Secretary for Consular Affairs; Mr. Bruce Du, Third Secretary/Ambassador’s Interpreter & Assistant; Professor Fan Hong, Director of IICS/CI, UCC.
After the meeting, the Ambassador and his colleagues visited IICS/CI and met with Louise Tobin, Director of International Student Recruitment and Strategy, and other members of staff and Chinese students. They had a very positive discussion about the development of the China – UCC link in the future.
Picture shows l-r Dr Michael Murphy, President, UCC, HE Mr Biwei Liu, Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland and Professor Fan Hong, Chinese Studies, UCC