About 200 delegates attended here on Sunday the first joint conference of Confucius Institutes(CIs) in Europe to share experience in promoting Chinese teaching and learning in each country and outline long-term plan for the development of CIs around the world.

Xu Lin, chief executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, addresses the first joint conference of Confucius Institutes (CIs) in Europe, at Group T International University College Leuven, Belgium, Oct. 18, 2009. About 200 delegates came from 66 CIs in 20 European countries and a dozen of Chinese universities attended the three-day conference.

The three-day conference was sponsored by the Confucius Institute Headquarters and organized by Group T International University College Leuven. The delegates came from 66 CIs in 20 European countries and a dozen of Chinese universities.

At the opening ceremony of the conference, Xu Lin, chief executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, stressed the importance of Confucius Institutes in popularizing the teaching and learning of Chinese and promoting understanding of the Chinese culture by the rest of the world.