About 200 delegates attended the first conference of Confucius Institutes (CIs) in Europe on Sunday to share experiences in promoting Chinese-language instruction and outline long-term plans for developing CIs worldwide.

The three-day event staged in Brussels was sponsored by the Confucius Institute Headquarters and organized by Group T International University College Leuven. Delegates came from 66 CIs in 20 European countries and a dozen Chinese universities.

Chief executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters Xu Lin stressed at the opening ceremony the importance of Confucius Institutes in popularizing Chinese-language instruction and promoting an international understanding of Chinese culture.