2015年CRI Xi Hails Role of Confucius Institutes in China-UK relationship（在线收听）

Chinese President Xi Jinping is hailing the role of Confucius Institutes for its contribution to promoting cultural exchanges with foreign countries.

President Xi made the remarks while addressing an opening ceremony of an annual meeting of Confucius Institutes in Britain.

The President said Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms are important platforms for the world to get to know China.

"As important windows and bridges for linguistic and cultural exchanges between China and the world, Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms have played an active role in facilitating people around the world to learn Chinese language and understand its culture. They have also made important contributions to China's people-to-people exchanges with the world, as well as the development of a diverse and colorful world civilization"

Xi was welcomed by students of the institutes with a Chinese song and a poem written by the President back in the 1990s.

Cameron Patterson is a student from the University of Lancaster who performed the poem at the event.

"I think it's a very good idea to recite the poem which pays tribute to Jiao Yvlu. It was also well written. I attended junior high school in China before. I remembered learning a lesson called 'Oasis in the Desert', which tells the story about Jiao Yvlu."

Jiao Yvlu is a late Chinese model official who worked in the barren Lankao county in central China's Henan province in the 1960s.

So far, there are 29 Confucius Institutes and 126 Confucius Classrooms established in the Britain, ranking the first among European countries.

Xi Jinping said he wishes that Confucius Institute teachers make greater contribution to the China-Britain relations.

"I hope the Confucius Institutes could carry on their motto, which features mutual respect, friendly negotiations, equality and mutual benefits, and make greater contribution to exchanging cultures, communicating the minds and promoting the diversity of world civilizations."

Xi Jinping was accompanied by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York to the event.

Xi is on the fourth day of his state visit to the UK, the first of its kind by a Chinese president in a decade.