Confucius Institute's Role In The Relationship Between Romania And China

This paper will present the role Confucius Institute,a Chinese cultural institution,plays in the relationship between Romania and China.It will analyze the activities in which the four Confucius Institutes in Romania engage,in order to reveal if they bring any improvements to the development of the relationship between the two countries.The central question revolves,thus,around culture's role in strengthening the friendship between Romania and China.The paper applies the theory of cultural diplomacy in explaining the main tasks of Confucius Institute project established by China with the intention of gathering more friends abroad.Romania represents a gateway to the rest of Europe,and is,therefore,considered to be an essential factor in the relationship of China with other European countries.Consequently,the paper intends to discover whether the Confucius Institute,through its numerous language courses and cultural activities,is able of maintaining and even improving the relationship between Romania and China,and,thus,ensuring China of having a stable,helpful and devoted friend.Moreover,the paper will not only take into consideration Confucius Institute's achievements within Romanian borders but also its challenges,so as to confer the reader a more vivid portrait of its situation.In order to make a much thorough exploration,one particular Confucius Institute,located in the city of Cluj-Napoca,had undergone a more in-depth analysis.In accordance with this line of thought,it is to be mentioned that a survey,as well as a series of interviews,were conducted on students and teachers of the specific Institute.This process will unveil the positive results achieved by the institution,as well as its drawbacks.On the other hand,the students and teachers altogether have put forward a set of suggestions for the further development of the Confucius Institute in Romania,which are worthy to be taken into consideration.By sharing a similar past,harboring the same ideals and fighting for achieving similar goals,Romania and China can join hands in working together for a better future of the relations between the two.They can learn from each other's experiences and use the new knowledge they gain for good purposes which in the end can only bring benefits to the further development of the cultural relationship between the two peoples.