On the afternoon of December 7, the 2019 Joint Conference of Confucius Institutes (CI) of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) was held at the Wutongyu Academic Exchange Center. Representatives of the Wayne State University (WSU) in USA, the University of Canterbury (UC) in New Zealand, the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil, the CIs at the three mentioned universities, the Confucius Institute Council of HUST, the International Exchange Center of HUST and the School of International Education of HUST attended the conference. It was presided over by the Vice President of HUST, Prof. Chen Jianguo.

In his welcome speech, Chen noted that the three CIs had played an irreplaceable role in local communities since their foundation, and had gained popularity among local students, faculties and residents. Meanwhile, they became a strong link between HUST and the three universities, a window for the people of the United States, New Zealand and Brazil to understand Chinese culture, and an important carrier of people-to-people exchanges. He hoped that with initial intentions in mind, they could innovate connotative development, and become the global model of CI development. HUST will continue to strongly support the construction of the Confucius Institute.

The Pro-vice Chancellor of Arts of UC, Jonathan Peter Le Cocq, and the Vice Rector of UFMG, Alessandro Fernandes Moreira, expressed their gratitude towards HUST for its strong support on behalf of their universities. The Director and Deputy Director of the three CIs then reported to the Council members their 2018-2019 work report and 2020 development plans.

Prof. John Richard Brender and Liang Li, the Director and Deputy Director of the CI at WSU, respectively introduced various cultural activities, such as Tai Chi Show, Spring Festival Gala, Winter Ball, Table Tennis Competition, Chinese Cooking Contest and Chinese Cuisine Salon. Dr. Chia-Rong Wu, and Associate Prof. Yu Qianhua, the Director and Deputy Director of the CI at UC, said they would further reach out to local primary and secondary schools to attract more Chinese language learners. According to their counterparts, Prof. Barbara Malveira Orfano and Ms. Cheng Jin, the CI at UFMG would focus on training local Chinese teachers in the future.

Representatives of the three CIs then voted to approve their final accounts and the following year's budget, and decided that the next joint conference would be held at Wayne State University in June 2020. During the discussion session, they held a dialogue about strengthening cooperation and exchanges not only among the CIs but also among the universities. A consensus was reached to form a joint conference mechanism to promote exchanges of students and faculties, share teaching resources, build joint workshops and explore the "CI +"cooperation model.

After the joint conference, representatives of the three CIs went to Changsha, Hunan Province to attend the 2019 International Chinese Education Conference.

12月7日下午，华中科技大学2019年孔子学院联席会议在梧桐语问学中心隆重举行。 美国韦恩州立大学、新西兰坎特伯雷大学、巴西米纳斯吉拉斯联邦大学校领导及其孔子学院中外方院长、我校孔子学院理事单位代表、国际交流处和国际教育学院有关负责人等出席联席会议。 副校长陈建国主持会议。

陈建国在欢迎辞中指出，三所孔子学院自成立以来，在当地发挥着无可替代的影响力和凝聚力，受到了学生、教师和社区的广泛欢迎。 同时，孔子学院成为学校和三所大学合作的坚强纽带，是美国、新西兰、巴西人民了解中国文化的重要窗口和人文交流的重要载体。 他希望三所孔子学院不忘初心，创新发展内涵，建设成为全球示范孔子学院。 学校将继续大力支持孔子学院建设。

新西兰坎特伯雷大学副校长Jonathan Peter Le Cocq、巴西米拉斯吉纳斯联邦大学副校长Alessandro Fernandes Moreira 代表各自学校对华中科技大学的大力支持表示感谢。 三所孔子学院的中外方院长向理事会成员汇报了2018—2019年度工作报告及2020年发展计划。

韦恩州立大学孔子学院外方院长John Richard Brender和中方院长梁丽介绍了丰富的孔院文化活动。 如体验太极、春节联欢晚会、冬季舞会、乒乓球赛、中华美食烹饪大赛、中华美食沙龙等。 坎特伯雷大学孔子学院外方院长吴家荣、中方院长余千华表示，坎大孔院将进一步发挥作用，深入当地中小学，吸引更多人学习中文。 米纳斯吉拉斯联邦大学孔子学院外方Barbara Malveira Orfano、中方院长程进提到，巴西孔院今后将重点培养本土中文教师。

三所孔子学院表决通过决算和下一年度预算，并确定下一届联席会议将于2020年6月在韦恩州立大学举行。 在研讨交流环节，各孔子学院代表踊跃发言，气氛热烈，就加强校级合作及孔子学院之间的交流进行了热烈的讨论，并初步达成系列共识。 各校将以联席会议为契机，大力促进教师互访和学生交换，共享教学资源，联合举办夏令营、学术工作坊，打造“孔子学院+”合作模式。

联席会议结束后，三所孔子学院代表赴长沙参加2019年国际中文教育大会。