The Chinese Cultural Research Centre of Nigeria was Tuesday, commissioned at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, by the cultural attache of the Chinese Embassy in Abuja, Yan Xiang Dong.

The research centre is the first in Nigeria.

The vice chancellor of the school, Prof. J. E. Ahaneku, said the university was delighted to the host the centre.

“Nnamdi Azikiwe University is able to rise to the challenge of this responsibility which has placed the entirety of Nigeria under the purview of the university,” he said.

He urged the Chinese government to see the centre as an avenue for strengthening its relationship with Nigeria.

He said the Chinese government should encourage the centre by employing its graduates in its embassies and companies.

He said the already The Confucius Institute at the university, established in January 2007 through a Memorandum of Understanding between the university, Chinese Language Council International and Xiamen University, was aimed at the teaching of Chinese Language and Culture to the university’s students and the general public, promoting research on China and scholarly exchanges between Nigeria and China, and conducting Chinese Language Proficiency Tests (HSK).

The vice chancellor said the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding has progressed smoothly as Chinese Language and Culture are taught at both Diploma and Degree levels in the university.

Source – Premium Times