驻英国大使刘晓明在《苏格兰人报》上撰文：弃冷战偏见，予青年机遇
2012年6月7日，《苏格兰人报》刊登驻英国大使刘晓明题为《弃冷战偏见，予青年机遇》的署名文章，全文如下：
本周，来自欧洲26个国家的孔子学院负责人在爱丁堡大学出席了2012年欧洲孔子学院联席会议，共商发展大计。孔子学院的建立，使更多的欧洲民众特别是青年有机会学习汉语、了解中国文化，从而更好地认知中国，进而促进中欧经贸、文化、教育与科技等领域广泛交流和合作。
孔子学院在英国的发展尤为强劲。今天，英国已建立了20所孔子学院和63间孔子课堂，并且还有20多所大学已经提出申请并在积极筹备，希望能早日开设孔子学院。而仅仅2年前，这个数字还只是12所孔子学院和53家孔子课堂。在苏格兰，孔子学院和中心孔子课堂的数量也分别达到了3所和9个，人均孔院及孔子课堂居联合王国之首。
苏格兰地方政府对孔子学院也鼎力支持，首席部长萨蒙德去年曾亲自参加格拉斯哥大学孔子学院的揭牌仪式。今年又亲临此次欧洲孔院联席会议的开幕式。
与此同时，我们也听到了一些对孔子学院非议的噪音。近来就有个别人指责孔子学院是中国政府在海外从事政治宣传活动的“国家宣传工具”。这样的言论不仅有悖事实，而且带有很强的意识形态色彩和冷战思维。孔子学院的开办坚持“外方申请、汉办审核、中方院校合办”的原则，由外方自愿首先提出申请，中外双方在充分协商的基础上签署合作协议。孔子学院总部理事会不是中国的独家机构，而是一个由多名外籍人士参与的国际化机构。孔子学院的经费筹措、章程和管理等也由中外双方共同负责。
还有一些人则将孔子学院视为中国的“文化入侵”，心存警惕、排斥。其实，文化、文明的进步决不是依靠闭关锁国、固步自封，而是相互学习、相互交融的结果。中国的“四大发明”和“经籍西传”曾为欧洲近代社会文化的发展演变带来深远影响，而近代“西学东渐”，西方的“德先生和赛先生”思想传入中国，成为中国知识分子追求国家强盛和民族复兴的一面旗帜。
文化的吐故纳新和不同民族文化间的相互交融是人类文化发展的基本方式，对孔子学院的紧张、警惕、防范不仅没有必要，而且有害无益。这种态度也不利于年轻人掌握汉语这项重要的职业技能。
我欢迎英国和苏格兰的民众特别是年轻人，走进孔子学院，掌握汉语这项职业发展之技能，掌握汉语这把了解中国文化之钥匙，并通过孔子学院这座“汉语桥”走进中国，这个世界上第二大经济体和第二大贸易国。
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming's Article in The Scotsman
Don’t Let ‘Cold War’ Prejudice Deny Opportunities to Young People
This week Confucius Institute Directors from 26 European countries are meeting at Edinburgh University to discuss future development of Confucius Institutes and Classrooms.
Confucius Institutes and Classrooms offer a great opportunity for European people, especially young people, to learn Chinese language and study Chinese culture. Their better understanding of China will promote Sino-European exchanges and cooperation in business, culture, education, science and many other areas.
The UK leads Europe in opening Confucius Institutes. Two years ago when I came to Britain, there were 12 Confucius Institutes and 53 Confucius Classrooms across UK. Now the numbers are 20 and 63 respectively. Twenty more British universities have filed applications to open Confucius Institutes. Scotland has the highest rate, per capita, in the UK with 3 Confucius Institutes and 9 Confucius Classrooms.
The Scottish Government is also a strong supporter of Confucius Institutes. Last year, First Minister, Alex Salmond, attended the launch of the Confucius Institute in Glasgow University. This week he attended the opening session of the European conference at Edinburgh University.
Confucius Institutes and Classrooms symbolise a positive trend. But there are often negative comments about their development. For example, Confucius Institutes have been criticised for being ‘overseas propaganda tool’ of the Chinese government. Such criticism does not match the facts. Moreover, it carries strong overtones of ideology and ‘cold-war’ mentality.
Foreign universities must apply to the Confucius Institute Headquarters in China to open an Institute or Classroom. On approval, foreign universities operate all facilities in collaboration with a Chinese university. This principle shows that the opening of a Confucius Institute is based on voluntary application by foreign universities.
The Council of the Confucius Institute Headquarters is not solely run by China. Rather, it is an agency built on international collaboration. The responsibilities for the funding, constitution and administration of Confucius Institutes are also shared by Chinese and their foreign partners.
Some other people see Confucius Institutes as a means of ‘cultural invasion’ by China. History shows that progress of a culture and civilisation is never achieved through isolation. It is realised by interactions and mutual learning.
We have many such examples of advancing humanity through exchange. The introduction of four great Chinese inventions utterly changed the world. These are printing, paper, the compass and gunpowder. Chinese government systems of selecting officials by merit profoundly changed government in Europe-- British top officials are still called ‘Mandarins’. In turn, as Europe and the USA evolved in recent centuries, their ideas on democracy and science spread to China, inspiring great changes in China, especially during the past century.
Cultures need to draw on each other’s strengths. This has always been how human civilisations evolve. The misgivings about Confucius Institutes are not only unfounded, but reflect insular and uninformed opinion. More importantly, such attitudes are denying youth of today vital knowledge that will benefit their careers. I welcome the people of Britain and Scotland, especially young people, to have your own experience of Confucius Institutes. There you can learn Mandarin and an understanding of China; both can now be key to career progress. The bridges built by Confucius Institutes will lead you to China, which offers enormous opportunities as the world’s second largest economy and second largest trading country.
天之聪教育
2012-09-26
天之聪教育
478次
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