Rector Jun Liu attends Global Chinese Language Teacher Education Association Annual Conference to discuss the digital transformation of Chinese language education
The 2025 Global Chinese Language Teacher Education Association (CLTA) Annual Conference and International Symposium on The Present and Future of International Chinese Language Education in The Era of Digital Intelligence was held yesterday at the SEAMEO Regional Language Centre in Singapore. As a founding member of the association, Prof. Jun Liu, rector of City University of Macau (CityU), was invited to attend and participate in the scholar dialogue. The conference attracted nearly 200 experts, scholars, and frontline teachers from over 20 countries and regions around the world. Han Jun, minister-counsellor (Education) of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech, while Yu Yunfeng, director of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of China, delivered a speech via video.
During the scholar exchange session, Rector Jun engaged in an in-depth discussion on the theme “The Present and Future of International Chinese Language Education in The Era of Digital Intelligence” with several distinguished guests: Prof. Joël Bellassen, the first Inspector General of Chinese Language Teaching at the French Ministry of Education and doctoral advisor at the French Language and Culture Institute; Prof. Kim Hyun-chul, vice president of Yonsei University in South Korea; Prof. Ding Anqi, executive vice dean of the School of International Chinese Studies at East China Normal University; and Tang Chun Chieh, president of the Singapore Chinese Teachers’ Union. The experts shared valuable insights on topics such as curriculum and teaching materials, classroom teaching models, the evolving role of teachers, and the integration of AI in language and cultural education. Their perspectives resonated strongly with the audience and sparked enthusiastic responses.
During his speech, Rector Jun Liu analyzed the opportunities and challenges brought by AI empowerment in global Chinese education from multiple dimensions, concluding that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks:
- From a psycholinguistic perspective, AI technology extends the teaching process effectively through personalized learning systems, offering tailored support during pre-class preparation and post-class reinforcement.
- From a sociolinguistic viewpoint, AI can create immersive task-based scenarios that guide students to focus on the communicative functions and pragmatic aspects of language use.
- From a neurolinguistic angle, AI-assisted learning helps stimulate students’ intrinsic motivation, respects individual differences, and fosters personal development, thereby enhancing learning efficiency.
- From the perspective of computational linguistics, AI is transforming learning patterns. By leveraging big data, it provides abundant language learning materials and supports frequent, meaningful practice—aligning closely with the inherent principles of language instruction.
Rector Liu further elaborated that as teaching processes are restructured, the role of teachers is also undergoing transformation—from traditional knowledge transmitters to learning facilitators. He emphasized their core responsibilities, including designing effective pre-class autonomous learning task design, organizing high-quality classroom interaction activities, and utilizing AI tools to assess learning outcomes.
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The 3rd Annual Conference of the Global Chinese Language Teacher Education Association brought together experts, scholars, and frontline educators from countries and regions including Australia, South Korea, Canada, Kyrgyzstan, the United States, Malaysia, South Africa, Japan, Hungary, Singapore, Indonesia, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. The conference featured in-depth discussions on the innovative development and future vision of international Chinese education in the era of digital intelligence.
This event was jointly organized by the School of International Chinese Studies at East China Normal University and the Confucius Institute at HSK Centre (Crestar) in Singapore.
Photo Credits: East China Normal University, HSK Centre (Crestar) in Singapore
