On the morning of June 1, 2016, deputy director of Comprehensive Division of Department of Vocational and Adult Education under the Ministry of Education Ning Rui paid an investigative visit to the Chinese Language Centre. Vice president of the OUC Liu Chen and relevant personnel from the Chinese Language Centre took part in the meeting.

Executive deputy director of the Chinese Language Centre Yang Yongbo, deputy director Wang Shuo, and relevant staff reported to Ning Rui on the Centre's development history, achievements, its partners at home and abroad, its existing teaching resources, Chinese language and culture teaching currently being carried out, training for overseas local Chinese teachers, and setting up web-based schools. Currently, the intelligent teaching cloud space set up by the Chinese Language Centre can provide digital campus management, online teaching and learning, online examination systems, comprehensive aptitude evaluation testing, and offline teaching activities management. Additionally, it is also capable of on-demand customization. Applications have included setting up a platform for the Open University of Yunnan to provide online Chinese teaching for South Asia and other regions and setting up a platform for Chengdu RTVU that has aroused the attention of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and Sichuan Provincial Returned Overseas Chinese Federation. Furthermore, Chengdu used the opportunity to prepare the OUC Overseas Chinese College.

Chinese Language Centre delivering a work report

Ning Rui introduced the overview of China's vocational education, mainly focusing on the international exchanges and cooperation of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education. At present, led by the Department of Vocational and Adult Education under the Ministry of Education, China's vocational education has entered into official cooperation with over thirty countries around the world and over ten international organizations. Their cooperation covers policy dialogue, exchange of visits, inter-school exchanges, personnel training, technical training, curriculum development, school construction, scientific research, etc. China is having an increasing say in the field of international vocational education. With the "Belt and Road Initiative" development strategy, it has become an inherent demand for China's vocational education to "go out", such as setting up vocational colleges and university branches abroad and setting up schools run by Chinese enterprises.

Ning Rui pointed out that the Chinese Language Centre has accumulated abundant resources. In terms of the internationalization of vocational education, these resources can be introduced to groups in need. In terms of promoting Chinese culture and brands, the OUC can enrich and process Chinese language teaching resources. By leveraging the resources and the platform for promoting foreign language and culture, the OUC is playing a key role in promoting vocational education worldwide.

In summary, vice president Liu Chen pointed out that the Chinese Language Centre of the OUC should rely on its resources, technology, and system advantages and accumulate experience in teaching Chinese as a foreign language to further clarify its development strategy, serve the right group, enrich the connotation of the internationalization, and strengthen communication and collaboration with the Department of Vocational and Adult Education under the Ministry of Education. Capitalizing on development opportunities related to promoting China's vocational education to "go out", the center should expand its business development into new areas to make new contributions to the internationalization of the OUC.

By Cao Xiaoyan, OUC