Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping was present at the official launch of Victoria University’s Confucius Institute at a ceremony at the InterContinental Hotel last month.

The ceremony had been scheduled to take place on campus, however, it was moved to the vice-president’s hotel after Green party co-leader Russel Norman’s run in with Chinese security outside parliament.

Confucius Institutes are not-for-profit centres within foreign universities designed to support the teaching of Chinese language and culture.

The vice-president said the launch of the Confucius Institute at Vic is “another milestone in education and cultural exchange and cooperation between China and New Zealand”.

The Institutes operate in partnership with a Chinese university. Victoria University’s Confucius Institute is a joint venture with Xiamen University.

The Institutes are financially supported by the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), part of the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Vice-Chancellor Pat Walsh said Vic prides itself on being an internationally engaged university.

“Our graduates need to be prepared for a global job market and to make a strong contribution to a multicultural society that New Zealand has become.”

The New Zealand Research Centre of Xiamen University, another joint venture between the universities, was established in December last year.