Cooperation with Tianjin Discussed

On 19 December 2019, Rector of the University of Banja Luka Professor Radoslav Gajanin, PhD, talked with the high level delegation from Tianjin, led by the Member of the Standing Committee of CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee and Chairman of Tianjin Overseas Chinese Friendship Association Ji Guoqiang.

Rector Gajanin presented to the Chinese guests plans for cooperation between the University and this city, the most important being the opening of the Chinese language study program at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Banja Luka and the establishment of the Chinese Studies Center.

Rector said that soon they plan to start drafting a study for the licensing of the Chinese language study program. He believes that the first students of sinology could be enrolled already in the academic year 2021/22. Rector also said that the experience of colleagues from Tianjin would be of great help in these preparations.

The plan is also to establish and construct the Chinese Studies Center at the University. He emphasized that colleagues from the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy of the University of Banja Luka are expected to come up with a design concept for the construction of this building, and that support of the partners from Tianjin is expected in the implementation of the concept.

The rector also emphasized that these activities had also recently been discussed in China during a visit to the University of Technology and Education (TUTE) and the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language and Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban). He said that the University has the support of the Republic of Srpska authorities in the implementation of these projects.

During this meeting, the rector also emphasized to the guests from Tianjin that the Confucius Institute of the University of Banja Luka is the most active Confucius Institute in Europe.

Member of the Standing Committee of CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee and Chairman of Tianjin Overseas Chinese Friendship Association Ji Guoqiang expressed his support for the implementation of these projects, as this will further deepen the cooperation.

He also said that it is very important to work on strengthening the cooperation in the field of culture and education between Banja Luka and Tianjin. Guoqiang pointed out that the Confucius Institute of the University of Banja Luka is the bridge of that cooperation with China.

In addition to the guests from China, the meeting was also attended by Vice Rector for Teaching and Student Affairs of the University of Banja Luka Prof. Strain Posavljak, PhD, Vice Rector for Material and Human Resources Prof. Dalibor Kesic, PhD, and Confucius Institute Home Director of the University of Banja Luka Ljiljana Stevic.