Welcome: (From left) Prof Nan Yeld, director of the Confucius Institute at UCT; Wang Lujiang, chairperson of the University Council, Beijing Language and Culture University; VC Dr Max Price; Xu Lin, advisor of the State Council, director-general of the Hanban and chief executive of the Confucius Institute headquarters; Prof Qianlong Wu, deputy director of UCT's Confucius Institute;. Wei Yanggen, first secretary, education, Chinese Embassy in South Africa.

Internationalisation at UCT was spotlighted at a high tea for a high-level delegation from the Chinese Language Council International in Beijing, China, hosted by vice-chancellor Dr Max Price.

The delegation was led by Xu Lin, director-general of the Hanban and the chief executive of the Confucius Institute, a non-profit, public organisation that promotes Chinese language and cultures globally. Earlier this year UCT launched a branch in the Centre for Higher Education Development.

Price said the collaboration came at an opportune time for UCT. It is in line with the university's internationalisation strategy to become a global player that prepares students for an ever-changing global landscape.

"UCT students are going to operate in a world where emerging markets such as China are going to dominate," he elaborated. "Therefore, the more we know about each other, including our languages and cultures, the better we can communicate."

UCT already offers lessons in Mandarin to staff and students, and plans to extend that by introducing accredited courses in Chinese-language studies.