To mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the inaugural meeting of the Belt and Road Languages and Cultures Network (BRLCN) took place today at the Second Conference Hall of the Beijing International Conference Center. The City University of Macau (CityU) participated as a member of the governing council, representing the sole university from Hong Kong and Macao.
Professor Jun Liu, Rector of CityU, was invited to attend the first council meeting and preside over the inaugural meeting of the BRLCN. On the same day, he attended the 2023 Belt and Road Forum for Language and Culture Collaboration. Notable CityU scholars invited to the forum included Lixian Jin, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the President of the International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies, as well as Distinguished Professor Martin Cortazzi from the School of Education.
The Belt and Road Languages and Cultures Network (BRLCN) is an interregional, multilingual, and open international cooperation mechanism established within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It is a non-governmental international organization covering language, education, and cultural institutions in countries participating in the BRI. The inaugural council of the BRLCN is chaired by China Daily, and it consists of nearly 60 language education and cultural organizations from over 50 countries. The Network is committed to strengthening coordination in language education policy among BRI countries, enhancing language education standards, promoting language connectivity, fostering cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and sharing stories of the Belt and Road to drive its sustainable development.
Rector Jun Liu chaired the keynote session of the Belt and Road Forum for Language and Culture Collaboration and moderated a roundtable dialogue titled “The Belt and Road and Internationalization in Universities and Colleges.” The discussion focused on the innovation and internationalization, the bottlenecks and challenges encountered in the internationalization process, and measures to address these challenges.
Chair Professor Lixian Jin chaired a roundtable dialogue on the topic of “Cultural Exchange and Regional Cooperation in the Belt and Road.” During the session, representatives from language education organizations from various countries shared their work and planning, discussed the challenges faced in cross-cultural exchange and cooperation, and presented solutions or strategies implemented to achieve cross-cultural communication and international cooperation. Distinguished Professor Martin Cortazzi participated as a guest speaker in the panel discussion on “Looking Ahead to the Next Decade: Responsibilities of Universities and Colleges and Language and Culture Organization.” Together with scholars from different countries, they discussed the major challenges in promoting the convergence of different civilizations and looked forward that the BRLCN could play an active role in addressing these challenges in the coming decade.
