The Memorandum of Understanding signed with the University of Technology and Education from Tianjin

As a part of forming the Confucius Institute at the University of Banja Luka, the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Technology and Education from the city of Tianjin – TUTE, People’s Republic of China, and the University of Banja Luka was organised.

The Memorandum was signed by the Rector of the University of Banja Luka, Prof. Milan Mataruga, and Deputy of the President of the University from Tianjin, Prof. Yan Bing, with Deputy Director of the Office for International Cooperation of  TUTE, MR Zhang Lei, and Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at our University, Prof.  Biljana Antunović, also attending the ceremony.

On this occasion, it was pointed out that the signing of the Memorandum not only created formal prerequisites for promoting the Chinese language, culture and tradition, but also provided for the future cooperation  to be realized through joint educational and research projects, as well as exchanging experts, scientists and students between the two institutions.

Rector Mataruga reminded that the activities for forming the Confucius Institute had lasted for more than two years, and that signing of the Memorandum was another step in the process; the following step would be signing an agreement with the Hanban, the umbrella institution in China that controls and coordinates the work of all Confucius Institutes in the world. ‘We expect this to take place in December, and after that, we will have completed all conditions to agree on the date of the opening of the Institute at our University’, Rector Mataruga said and added that that would provide easier and faster communication, not only with TUTE, but also with other universities in China. 

Prof. Yan Bing expressed his pleasure for establishing cooperation with our University. ‘This is a unique opportunity for two universities to be connected through the Confucius Institute, which will be not only an institute for studying Chinese culture and language, which is its primary role, but also an opportunity to connect scientists, researchers and students, and improve the cooperation between the two countries on economic and other levels’, Prof. Bing said, and reminded that the University of Banja Luka was the first European University with which TUTE signed an agreement related to establishing the Confucius Institute.