Centre for Language Education and Cooperation
中外语言交流合作中心
Formation1987
TypeOrganization under the Ministry of Education
Location
  • Beijing
Parent organization
Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China

The Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (Chinese: 中外语言交流合作中心) is an organization under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China tasked with "providing Chinese language and cultural teaching resources and services worldwide".[1] It is commonly referred to as the Hanban (Chinese: 汉办; pinyin: Hàn bàn), the colloquial abbreviation for the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Chinese: 国家汉语国际推广领导小组办公室); it is also known as Confucius Institute Headquarters.[2]

It was originally called the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, which was established in 1987, and acquired its current name in 2020. Hanban is most notable for the Confucius Institute program.[3] It also sponsors Chinese Bridge, a competition in Chinese proficiency for non-native speakers.[4] Organizationally, Hanban sits directly under the Ministry of Education.[1] It has numerous subdivisions, including three separate Confucius Institute divisions in charge of Asian and African, American and Oceanian, and European regions.[1] In 2014, The Economist labeled Hanban a "government entity".[5] Hanban has been criticized for its Confucius Institute program and for the actions of former Director General Xu Lin.

History

The China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOCFL, Chinese: 国家对外汉语教学领导小组) was established in 1987 to "enhance the mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese people and other peoples of the world, promote economic and trade cooperation as well as scientific, technological and cultural exchanges between them".[6]

In 2004, Hanban and the U.S. College Board developed the "AP Chinese Language and Culture Course and Exam" program.[6] As a result of this and other initiatives, approximately 160 U.S. Chinese language teachers have attended the AP Chinese Teacher Summer Institutes. Since 2006, Hanban has been sending volunteer teachers from China to the U.S., and 105 such teachers have taught Chinese in 30 U.S. states.[6]

Following a widespread backlash, Hanban changed its name in July 2020 to the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation.[7]

Administration

According to its website, Hanban's goals include "making Chinese language and culture teaching resources and services available to the world", "meeting the demands of overseas Chinese learners", and "contributing to the formation of a world of cultural diversity and harmony".[6] Hanban aims to cultivate knowledge and interest in the Chinese language and culture around the world, especially in people who are not native speakers of Chinese. Hanban has worked "closely with overseas organizations to develop Chinese language courses in their respective countries".[6]

Functions

Hanban's primary functions include making "policies and development plans for promoting Chinese language internationally", supporting "Chinese language programs at educational institutions of various types and levels in other countries", and drafting "international Chinese teaching standards and develop and promote Chinese language teaching materials".[1]

Hanban is most notable for the Confucius Institute program.[3] Launched in 2004, the program consists of individual institutions, or Confucius Institutes, in regions around the world, including the U.S., South Korea, Germany, Sweden, and Africa.[8][9] Hanban also sponsors Chinese Bridge, a competition in Chinese proficiency for non-native speakers.[4]

Directors

As of July 2019, Hanban has five directors: Ma Jianfei, Zhao Guocheng, Jing Wei, Yu Yunfeng, and Yu Tianqi.[10] Directors of individual Confucius Institutes have four-year tenures, including a one-year probation period.[11]

Organizational structure

Organizationally, Hanban sits directly under the Ministry of Education.[1] It has numerous subdivisions, including the following:[1]

  • Division of General Affairs
  • Division of Human Resources
  • Division of Discipline Inspection
  • Division of Auditing
  • Division of Finance
  • Division of Assets Management
  • Division of Development and Planning
  • Division of Policy Studies
  • Division of Asian and African Confucius Institutes
  • Division of American and Oceanian Confucius Institutes
  • Division of European Confucius Institutes
  • Division of Teachers
  • Division of Volunteer Affairs
  • Division of Teaching and Resources
  • Division of Chinese Testing and Scholarship
  • Division of Cultural Affairs
  • Division of Sinology and China Studies
  • Division of International Exchanges
  • Information Office (Editorial Office of Confucius Institute)
  • Division of Logistics

Criticisms and controversies

Academics and journalists have criticized Hanban, particularly the Confucius Institute program that has rapidly grown worldwide since 2004.

Confucius Institutes

While inspecting Hanban, Li Changchun, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, stated that: "the construction of Confucius Institutes is an important channel to glorify Chinese culture, to help Chinese culture spread to the world", which is "part of China's foreign propaganda strategy".[9]

In January 2010, the Chinese Ministry of Finance announced that the winning bid to build and maintain the Confucius Institute website was awarded to Hanban-subsidiary company Wuzhou Hanfeng Web Technology Ltd. (Wuzhou Hanfeng Wangluo Keji 五洲汉风网络科技) for CN¥35.2 million (US$5.7 million).[12][13] Wuzhou Hanfeng Web Technology Ltd. was registered to Wáng Yǒnglì (王永利), Deputy Director-General of Hanban and Deputy Chief Executive of Confucius Institute Headquarters. This connection led news media and social media commentators to criticize Hanban for corruption and a lack of transparency.[14][15][16][17] In response, Hanban Director-General Xià Jiànhuī (夏建辉) said that "the website will eventually be made into a learning portal that will be promoted globally" and that "this is a comprehensive project", maintaining that Hanban did not break any rules by allowing their own subsidiary company to win the contract.[18][19]

According to The Globe and Mail, McMaster University ended its five-year relationship with Hanban after former McMaster Confucius Institute teacher Sonia Zhao quit her job and subsequently complained to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario that the university was "giving legitimization to discrimination". Under her job contract, Zhao was forced to hide her belief in Falun Gong, a spiritual movement that the Chinese government deems "dangerous". Zhao stated that she was "trained in Beijing to dodge sensitive topics in class".[20]

In December 2013, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) passed a resolution, "That all universities and colleges in Canada which currently host Confucius Institutes on their campuses cease doing so, and universities and colleges currently contemplating such arrangements pursue them no further." CAUT executive director James Turk described Confucius Institutes as "essentially political arms of the Chinese government".[21] Turk stated that the ten Canadian universities that hosted Confucius Institutes were compromising their integrity by allowing Hanban to have a voice in academic matters such as curriculum and topics of class discussion, which constitutes a "fundamental violation of academic freedom".[22] In June 2014, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) called on the almost 100 American universities that hosted Confucius Institutes to renegotiate their contracts with Hanban.[23] The AAUP's Report on Academic Freedom stated that "Confucius Institutes function as an arm of the Chinese state and are allowed to ignore academic freedom."[24]

A 21 June 2014 editorial in The Washington Post listed concerns regarding Confucius Institutes, including the AAUP advising universities to cut Hanban ties, alleged violations of freedom of speech and human rights, and the secrecy of undisclosed contracts between schools and Hanban. It concluded that "academic freedom cannot have a price tag" and recommended that if universities will not publish their Confucius Institute agreements, the programs should end.[25] On 24 June, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua responded,[26] saying that the claims made by the AAUP and others—that Confucius Institutes "function as an arm of the Chinese state and are pushing political agendas"—actually "expose not so much communist propaganda as their own intolerance of exotic cultures and biased preconceived notions to smear and isolate the CPC".[27]

Xu Lin incidents

Xu Lin, the Director-General of Hanban and Chief Executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, was involved in two international incidents in 2014. In July, she ordered her staff to remove pages referring to Taiwanese academic institutions from the published program for the European Association for Chinese Studies conference in Portugal, claiming the materials were "contrary to Chinese regulations",[28] which the Wall Street Journal described as the "bullying approach to academic freedom".[29] In September, the University of Chicago closed its Confucius Institute, citing incompatibility with Xu's comments regarding the university in a Jiefang Daily article.[30] The Business Spectator commented that the "Xu's hardline behavior highlights one of the biggest problems for Beijing's charm offensive" and that "It still relies on officials like Xu, who still think and act like party ideologues who like to assert their authority and bully people into submission."[31]

Braga incident

On 22 July 2014, the evening before the start of the European Association of Chinese Studies (EACS) conference in Braga, Portugal, Xu Lin removed four pages from the conference program and one page from the abstracts, which referred to Taiwan's Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, a major sponsor of the conference for the past 20 years.[32][33][34][35][36][37] The EACS subsequently reprinted the deleted materials to distribute to the conference members. EACS president Roger Greatrex subsequently issued a report on the page deletions[38] and an official letter of protest that concluded, "Such interference in the internal organization of the international conference of an independent and democratically organized non-profitable academic organization is totally unacceptable."[39]

The Confucius China Studies Program (CCSP), which is administered by the Confucius Institute, was another major sponsor of the conference, and Sun Lam, director of the University of Minho Confucius Institute was a co-organizer of the conference.[40] The CCSP international conference funding application stated, "The conference is regulated by the laws and decrees of both China and the host country, and will not carry out any activities which are deemed to be adverse to the social order." Dr. Lam submitted a draft copy of the program to the CCSP, who subsequently approved the materials.

Conference registration began on 22 July 2014, and about 100 participants received complete copies of the abstracts and program, which comprised 89 pages plus a cover and front pages. However, after Xu Lin arrived that evening, she proclaimed that mention of the CCSP sponsorship be removed from the Conference Abstracts and ordered her entourage from the Confucius Institute Headquarters to remove all conference materials and take them to the apartment of a local Confucius Institute employee. The remaining 300 participants who arrived for conference registration on 23 July did not receive the printed abstracts or programs but only a brief summarized schedule. After last-minute negotiations between Xu Lin and conference organizers to ensure conference members received the program, a compromise was made to allow the removal of one abstract page that mentioned the CCSP support of the conference.

On the morning of 24 July, the remaining 300 conference participants received their materials, which were now missing four printed pages: the frontispiece mentioning the CCSP sponsorship in the conference abstract and three pages from the conference program. These expurgated pages contained information regarding the book exhibition and library donation organized by the Taiwan National Central Library, and the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange.[41]

The director of the National Central Library stated that EACS officials and members had spoken out against Xu during the opening ceremony.[42][43] Marshall Sahlins explained that the EACS censorship highlighted Hanban's seriousness in enforcing its contractual provisions "the way they do in China which is not so much by going to court [...] but simply by fiat".[44][45] The Christian Science Monitor said that the censorship has made more American, European, and Australian academics grow uneasy with Confucius Institutes. It reported that when Ms. Xu met privately with foreign scholars in Shanghai, who asked specifically about the missing pages, "she denied ordering them censored."[46]

In December 2014, the BBC interviewed Xu Lin in Beijing.[47] When the interviewer brought up the Braga incident, Xu Lin objected and later asked for large portions of the interview to be deleted. One of the claims she made in the interview is that Taiwan belongs to China, and therefore outsiders have no business interfering. The BBC did not agree to the censorship demand.[48] "Xu Lin not only refused to answer difficult questions, she also politicised the Confucius Institutes and reinforced the idea that they are led by dogmatists," commented Gary Rawnsley, professor of Public Diplomacy at Aberystwyth University, Wales.[49] The Wall Street Journal reported on Xu's BBC interview, noting that "Critics have argued that China's Confucius Institutes pose a threat to academic freedom in the United States, Canada, Europe and beyond. Now the Beijing official in charge of them has confirmed it."[50]

University of Chicago Confucius Institute closure

On 25 September 2014, the University of Chicago stated that it had suspended negotiations to renew its Confucius Institute contract because "recently published comments about UChicago in an article about the director-general of Hanban are incompatible with a continued equal partnership."[51] This indirectly referred to an interview Xu had with Jiefang Daily,[52][53] in which she claimed to have intimidated the university's president "with a single sentence", after 100 professors signed a petition to ban the Confucius Institute. Xu Lin wrote a letter to the university's president and called the university representative in Beijing "with only one line: 'If your school decides to withdraw, I will agree to it.' Her attitude made the other side anxious. The school quickly responded that it will continue to properly manage the Confucius Institute."[30]

Other media reports said Xu's comments "brought panic" to the university, which was convinced by this "demeaning depiction" that an equal partnership was impossible;[54] "could be construed as a boastful challenge";[55] "implied the school had kowtowed to the Chinese government";[56] or caused university administrators to become "anxious" at the thought of shutting down the Confucius Institute.[57]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hanban-AboutUs-HanBan". english.hanban.org. Archived from the original on 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  2. ↑ "Confucius Institute Headquarters（Hanban）". english.hanban.org. Archived from the original on 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  3. 1 2 Don Starr (2009). Volume 44, Issue 1. "Chinese Language Education in Europe: the Confucius Institutes". European Journal of Education. 44: 65–82. doi:10.1111/j.1465-3435.2008.01371.x.
  4. 1 2 "Hanban-News". english.hanban.org. Archived from the original on 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  5. ↑ A decade ago China began opening centres abroad to promote its culture. Some people are pushing back Archived 2017-08-30 at the Wayback Machine, The Economist, 13 September 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Hanban | Confucius Institute at Texas A&M; University". 2014-08-19. Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  7. ↑ Pinghui, Zhuang (2020-07-04). "Confucius Institutes rebrand after overseas propaganda and influence rows". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  8. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions | Global Maryland, University of Maryland". globalmaryland.umd.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-07-16. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  9. 1 2 Will Wachter (2014-10-11). "The language of Chinese soft power in the US". Archived from the original on 2014-10-26. Retrieved 2014-10-11.
  10. ↑ "Hanban-About Us-Leadership". english.hanban.org. Archived from the original on 2018-09-29. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  11. ↑ "Hanban-News". english.hanban.org. Archived from the original on 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  12. ↑ The Cost of Confucius Institutes Archived 2014-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, China Digital Times, 01 June 2012
  13. ↑ "官人我要建网站：孔子学院网站运营服务3520万元，中国工会网网站改版670万元(页 1) - 聊天空间 - 讨论室-苏辛工作室 - powered by Discuz! Archiver". Suxin.crtvu.edu.cn. 2010-01-21. Archived from the original on 2014-10-25. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  14. ↑ 国家汉办称3520万向下属公司采购不违规 Archived 2014-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, China Daily, 22 January 2010
  15. ↑ 孔子学院网站天价中标 Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine, Beijing News, 22 January 2010
  16. ↑ 孔子学院网站运营费3520万 天价费用遭网友质疑 Archived 2014-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, Sina, 22 January 2010
  17. ↑ Chinese Doubt Their Own Soft Power Venture Archived 2014-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, Foreign Policy, October 17, 2014
  18. ↑ Controversy Over Cost of Confucius Institute Website Archived 2014-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, China Buzz, The Economic Observer, 22 January 2010
  19. ↑ Transparency and corruption – two sides of the same coin? Archived 2014-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, Chinahush, 24 January 2010
  20. ↑ McMaster closing Confucius Institute over hiring issues Archived 2017-11-16 at the Wayback Machine, The Globe and Mail, 7 February 2013.
  21. ↑ Canada's Association of University Teachers Calls on Universities to Close Confucius Institutes Archived 2014-08-19 at archive.today, Universities News, 25 December 2013.
  22. ↑ Universities and colleges urged to end ties with Confucius Institutes Archived 2014-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, Canadian Association of University Teachers, 17 December 2013.
  23. ↑ Editorial board, The Price of Confucius Institutes Archived 2017-07-17 at the Wayback Machine, "Washington Post", 21 June 2014.
  24. ↑ AAUP Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, On Partnerships with Foreign Governments: The Case of Confucius Institutes Archived 2014-08-01 at the Wayback Machine, June 2014.
  25. ↑ The price of Confucius Institutes Archived 2017-07-17 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post, 21 June 2014.
  26. ↑ Compulsory education: A setback for Confucius Archived 2016-03-30 at the Wayback Machine, Week in China, 4 July 2014.
  27. ↑ China Voice: Fear, ignorance behind calls to stem Confucius Institutes Archived 2014-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, Xinhua, 23 June 2014.
  28. ↑ China's Soft-Power Fail Archived 2014-10-11 at the Wayback Machine, Bloomberg View, 07 October 2014.
  29. ↑ Beijing's Propaganda Lessons: Confucius Institute officials are agents of Chinese censorship Archived 2017-04-25 at the Wayback Machine, The Wall Street Journal, 7 August 2014.
  30. 1 2 Chicago to Close Confucius Institute Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, Inside Higher Ed, 26 September 2014
  31. ↑ Hard times for China's soft power Archived 2014-10-02 at the Wayback Machine, Business Spectator, 29 September 2014.
  32. ↑ Peter Cai, China fails the soft-power test Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine, Business Spectator, 6 August 2014.
  33. ↑ China hurts Taiwan's feelings at academic conference in Portugal Archived 2014-08-09 at the Wayback Machine, "Pakistan Defence" website, 4 August 2014
  34. ↑ Beijing's Propaganda Lessons: Confucius Institute officials are agents of Chinese censorship Archived 2017-04-25 at the Wayback Machine", The Wall Street Journal", 7 August 2014.
  35. ↑ The Diplomat The Undoing of China's Soft Power Archived 2014-08-15 at the Wayback Machine, "The Diplomat", 8 August 2014.
  36. ↑ Shih Hsiu-chuan, EACS to protest Hanban's academic meddling: source Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine, Taipei Times, 31 July 2014.
  37. ↑ China's obstruction at conference hurts cross-strait ties: Taiwan Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine, Focus Taiwan News Channel, 28 July 2014.
  38. ↑ Roger Greatrex, Report: The Deletion of Pages from EACS Conference materials in Braga (July 2014) Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine, European Association for Chinese Studies, 1 August 2014.
  39. ↑ Roger Greatrex, Letter of Protest at Interference in EACS Conference in Portugal, July 2014 Archived 2014-08-09 at the Wayback Machine, European Association for Chinese Studies, 1 August 2014.
  40. ↑ European Association for Chinese Studies conference 2014 website, The organisers Archived 2014-08-11 at the Wayback Machine, July 2014.
  41. ↑ 20th Biennial Conference EACS Program Archived 2014-08-10 at the Wayback Machine, original version with the censored frontispiece and pages 15/16, 19/20, and 59/60.
  42. ↑ European Association for Chinese Studies Offers Formal Apologies to Us Archived 2014-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, National Policy Foundation, 29 July 2014.
  43. ↑ Shih Hsiu-chuan, Foundation angry over EACS brochures Archived 2014-08-09 at the Wayback Machine, Taipei times, 29 July 2014.
  44. ↑ Elizabeth Redden, Confucius Controversies Archived 2014-08-12 at the Wayback Machine, Inside Higher Ed, 24 July 2014.
  45. ↑ Elizabeth Redden, Accounts of Confucius Institute-ordered censorship at Chinese studies conference Archived 2014-08-09 at the Wayback Machine, Inside Higher Ed, 6 August 2014.
  46. ↑ Robert Marquand, Academic flap turns up heat on China's Confucius Institutes Archived 2014-08-31 at the Wayback Machine, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 August 2014.
  47. ↑ "BBC News-The hard side of China's soft power". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  48. ↑ Sudworth, John (2014-12-22). "Confucius institute: The hard side of China's soft power - BBC News". BBC News. Bbc.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  49. ↑ Rawnsley, Gary (2014-12-22). "Public Diplomacy and International Communications: BBC Interview with Xu Lin about Confucius Institutes". Dic.blogspot.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-07-13. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  50. ↑ Madam Xu's Party Line, Beijing confirms that Confucius Institutes subvert Western academic freedom Archived 2017-07-09 at the Wayback Machine, Wall Street Journal, 23 December 2014 (behind paywall, copy here Archived 2014-12-27 at the Wayback Machine).
  51. ↑ "Statement on the Confucius Institute at the University of Chicago | UChicago News". News.uchicago.edu. 2014-09-25. Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  52. ↑ 文化的困境, 在于不知不觉 Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, Jiefang Daily, 19 September 2014
  53. ↑ "许琳 王一：对话孔子学院掌门人：文化的困境,在于不知不觉_刘战生曰中_新浪博客". Blog.sina.com.cn. 2014-09-20. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  54. ↑ World should watch for Confucius Archived 2015-06-02 at the Wayback Machine, The China Post, 1 October 2014
  55. ↑ Confucius Institutes About-Face Archived 2017-07-02 at the Wayback Machine, The Economist, 26 September 2014
  56. ↑ Wall Street Journal: University of Chicago Cuts Ties With Chinese Academic Center Archived 2017-04-25 at the Wayback Machine, Wall Street Journal, 27 September 2014
  57. ↑ The Future of China's Confucius Institutes Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, The Diplomat, 30 September 2014
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