On 22 May 2024, a delegation of the World Center for Confucius Studies Ni Shan from the
People’s Republic of China, led by the deputy director of this center Guo Chengyan, visited the
University of Banja Luka.
At the meeting with the rector of the University of Banja Luka Prof. Radoslav Gajanin, PhD,
cooperation between this center and the Faculty of Philology and the Confucius Institute, as well as the Faculty of Political Science and the Faculty of Philosophy, was discussed. The rector emphasized that approximately thirty students study sinology at the University of Banja Luka.
"I am sure that interest in this study program will grow in the future. China is probably the
leading country in terms of economic development, i.e. according to all criteria, and students
who complete the Sinology Study Program have great chances to get employed", Gajanin said.
Deputy Director of the World Center for Confucian Studies Guo Chengyan stated that she comes from Shandong province, which is also the birthplace of Confucius, which is why this center for Confucian studies was created. She pointed out that the arrival of the delegation of the World Center for Confucian Studies has a double value, given that the University of Banja Luka has both the Confucius Institute and the Sinology Study Program.
"We believe that cultural exchange, as well as academic exchange, can be raised to a much
higher level and that we can have joint publishing activities and Confucian studies", said Guo,
who is also vice president and general secretary of China Confucius Foundation and secretary of the Party Committee of the Confucian Studies Research Institute.
Asst. Prof. Bojana Pavlović, PhD, who is teaching at the Sinology Study Program, emphasized
that the World Center for Confucius Studies Ni Shan delegation is interested in extending the
academic cooperation. "They want to see if there is a possibility to open a research center, as well as to have joint publishing activities, and have Chinese experts come for a period of time and give lectures to sinology students" she stressed.
At the meeting in the Rectorate of the University of Banja Luka, which was also attended by
Vice-Rector for Teaching, Student Affairs and Quality Prof. Milica Balaban, PhD, they
discussed concrete forms of cooperation, such as the study of Confucian philosophy and
scientific research on that topic, as well as the possibilities of joint publishing activities.
The World Center for Confucian Studies Ni Shan was founded by the Government of Shandong Province and the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. This research center aims to promote and support research in the field of Confucian studies worldwide, as well as to encourage international cooperation in this field.
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