Amman, 16 October 2023

Your Excellency Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global,

Dear Dr. Yang Song, President of Shenyang Normal University,

Faculty members and students from TAG Confucius Institute,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Good afternoon and As Salaam Alaikum!

It is my great pleasure to join you in Amman to celebrate the 15^th anniversary of the founding of TAG Confucius Institute. I would like to, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Jordan,extend our warm congratulations to the faculty and students as well as alumni of the Institute, and our warm welcome to members of the distinguished delegation of Shenyang Normal University, who have come to Jordan all the way from China.

The TAG Confucius Institute is the first Confucius Institute in Jordan, and also the world’s first Confucius Institute jointly established by a university and a business organization.

Over the past 15 years, taking root in Jordan and with passion and dedication, the TAG Confucius Institute has made positive contribution to fostering better understanding of Chinese culture, promoting China-Jordan friendship, facilitating win-win cooperation, and connecting hearts and minds of our two peoples, thus winning wide acclaim and warm welcome among Jordanians from all walks of life.

I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global and Shenyang Normal University for their strong support for the development of the Institute. My thanks also go to the Directors and teachers of the Institute for their hard work, and to all the Chinese and Jordanian government departments, friendship associations and individuals who have cared for and helped the Institute.

Ladies and gentlemen and friends,

Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out that educational cooperation is an important channel for enhancing people’s understanding and friendship. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Jordan over 46 years ago, under the strategic guidance of leaders of our two countries, our bilateral relations have witnessed significant progress. China and Jordan respect and trust each other politically and culturally, engage in win-win cooperation,and have kept close communications and coordination in international and regional affairs.

In the past days, China and Jordan have joined hands in appealing for and bringing an end to the conflict and violence in the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We have spared no efforts in trying to rectify the historical injustice inflicted upon the Palestinian people and to implement the two-state solution.

Dear friends,

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past 10 years, under this initiative, more than 3000 projects have been launched, leveraging nearly 1 trillion US dollars of investment. China and Arab countries, including Jordan, have made significant progress in cooperation as natural partners for the Belt and Road Initiative.

Tomorrow, the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will open in Beijing, which is expected to launch a series of new initiatives to contribute to global sustainable development. We hope that China and Jordan take this Forum as an opportunity to make greater progress in our practical cooperation in various fields. We look forward to valuable insights from the experts at today’s seminar.

Dear friends,

As we say in Chinese,十五岁是志学之年、及笄之年, which means that a person at fifteen is coming of age and eager to learn. The TAG Confucius Institute at fifteen is in the flower of its youth. I hope that the Institute will fully utilize its unique advantages, break new grounds and make even greater achievements. The Chinese Embassy will continue to support its endeavours.

The birth and growth of TAG Confucius Institute is a showcase of Chinese language teaching in Jordan and our bilateral educational exchanges. Today, more and more young Jordanians wish to learn Chinese and know more about China, more and more Jordanian universities aspire to offer Chinese language courses. Last month the China-Arab Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism was inaugurated in Amman, offering a new platform for exchanges. We should build upon this momentum to bring the level of China-Jordan educational exchanges to a new high.

In concluding, I wish the seminar a complete success and the TAG Confucius Institute a brighter future.

Thank you and Shukran.