On November 13-16, 2025 , Hanna MUZYCHENKO, Vice-Rector for Research, Oleksandra POPOVA, Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, and Oleksandra MORHUN, Head of the International Department visited Beijing (PRC). The purpose of the visit was to participate in a series of forums at the World Chinese Language Conference - 2025 within the framework of the implementation of the International Project "Confucius Institute". The Chinese side was represented by the Deputy Head of the International Department of Harbin Engineering University Mr. Ding Xin and Chinese language teacher Mr. Xi Hongang.
On November 14, 2025, the opening ceremony of the "2025 World Chinese Language Conference" was held on the theme "Innovation Leads, AI Empowers, Learning Chinese without Boarders", dedicated to new approaches to the development of Chinese language teaching in the international space through the use of digital intelligent technologies.
The opening ceremony was attended by about 2,000 people, including Chinese and foreign government officials, experts and scholars, university leaders and representatives of international organizations. The ceremony was opened by Mr. Huai Jinpeng, Minister of Education of the People's Republic of China. The following also delivered keynote speeches: Mr. Ding Xuēxiáng, First Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China; Ms. Narumon Pinyosinwat, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand; Ms. Cathy Gormley-Heenan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland); and Ms. Cathy Gormley-Heenan, Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Ulster; and others.
The Head of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping attaches great importance to international Chinese education, emphasizes the government's commitment to innovation, strengthens ties and integration, builds consensus among all parties, and strives to build a bridge of language communication, a bridge of mutual understanding and mutual trust, and a bridge of civilizations.
In light of the above, the Center for Language Education and Cooperation proposed that all Confucius Institutes hold the "Year of Digital Intelligence" from 2025 to 2027, which aims to build a smart network for Chinese language teaching with shared high-quality resources. Through the joint efforts of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), the China Foundation for International Education (CIEF), and the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching (ISCLT), the following main tasks have been generated within the framework of the implementation of the goal: to make language teaching more intelligent; to ensure a more dynamic implementation of cultural exchanges; make the common ecosystem more holistic.
At the end of the first working day, the Ukrainian delegation and the Deputy Head of the International Department of Harbin Engineering University, Mr. Ding Xin, discussed the driving directions of potential scientific cooperation in the natural sciences and mathematics, humanities and arts, and social sciences.
On the second day of the conference, November 15, 2025, a series of parallel forums were held on improving the content of multi-level Chinese language proficiency exams HSK, YCT, BCT. The participants of the Conference discussed the criteria for assessing learning outcomes in Chinese, work programs for preparing students for taking tests of different levels in Chinese, etc. The following issues attracted particular attention:
The legacy and development of Confucius Institutes: entering the next 20 years.
Opportunities and challenges in intellectual assessment of Chinese language knowledge.
Mutual learning of civilizations and education of specialists in the field of Chinese studies.
Practices and innovations in the training of applied specialists in the Chinese language.
Creation of a borderless ecosystem of Chinese language teaching through O2O integration (Online-to-Offline integration).
Development of Chinese education standards with a global vision: connectivity, innovation, development.
Following the results of the sectional discussions, the participants of the Conference took part in the symposium "HSK Global Partners Conference", where ways were analyzed to improve the digital literacy and competence of international Chinese language teachers; means of building a "Chinese Plus" partner ecosystem and exchanging experience; problems of forming a localized Chinese education system in the era of digital intelligence; prospects for developing a 12-level scale for assessing students' knowledge and skills in the Chinese language (K–12): exemplary leadership and practical innovations, etc.
On November 16, 2025, the Conference program provided for the involvement of delegates in the final discussions on the issues of holding conferences: "Global Chinese Language Alliance Partners Conference", "International Society for Chinese Language Teaching (ISCLT) 2025 Annual Academic Conference", "Going Global of Chinese Films & Games and Language-Culture Communication", "Digital Intelligence Application and Practice in Confucius Institutes".
Thus, the annual exchange of experience within the framework of the International Project "Confucius Institute" enhances the international image of the State Institution "South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky", contributes to the establishment of cross-cultural academic relations between countries of the world and activates
