On 23 April, Minister of State for Culture Géza Szőcs opened the China Centre of the University of Miskolc, which is going to offer linguistic and cultural training. The Centre has been established in cooperation with Chinese-owned chemicals group Wanhua-BorsodChem.

“In today’s world, we need a reliable economic partner, on the other hand, particularly in today’s globalizing world, a relationship with an old, tradition-based culture like the Chinese culture”, said Géza Szőcs at the opening ceremony of the Centre.

Dr Gyula Patkó, Rector of University of Miskolc, Wang Hongliang, Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, Ding Jiansheng, President and CEO of Wanhua-BorsodChem, and Dr Imre Hamar, professor, director of ELTE Confucius Institute and Institute of East Asian Studies also took the floor at the opening ceremony.

Gyula Patkó highlighted that Szőcs had a significant role in the establishment of the Centre.

The training centre, established with the financial support of the Chinese-owned, Kazincbarcika-based chemicals company, offers the opportunity for all the students of the university to study Chinese linguistic and social sciences. The Centre contributes to the expansion of Chinese–Hungarian academic and education relations with the organization of the exchange of lecturers and researchers as well.

The China Centre provides the expansion of knowledge of university students who are interested in the Chinese language, culture and society, as well as of professionals with educational background who work for Hungarian companies of Chinese background. The interest in the Chinese language and culture has increased in the Northern Hungarian region since Wanhua acquired full control over BorsodChem in February 2011, and many Chinese professionals have arrived to work at the company. The Wanhua Industrial Group, which has interest in forty countries of the world, provided the modernization of BorsodChem with funds of EUR 140 million (approximately HUF 39 billion), and has thereafter taken control of the company.

Currently, around 170 students take part in Chinese language courses organized by the University of Miskolc and the Zrínyi Secondary School. Students become acquainted with the language and culture two hours a week as part of the credit system. Employed by the university, native Chinese teachers hold workshops twice a week in the secondary school, and the teaching of Chinese language will be introduced as a second foreign language in September 2012.

(State Secretariat for Culture)