PHOTO // Moldovan foreign affairs minister meets group of Chinese students learning Romanian

Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popsoi today visited the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), where he met with university’s rector, Professor Jia Wenjian, and held discussions with students who are studying the Romanian language.

The BFSU rector welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popsoi and noted that the university was open to cooperation with higher education institutions of Moldova, including through the promotion of the Romanian language and the boosting of academic exchanges. The institution already has a partnership with the Free International University of Moldova.

The meeting with the students took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere, during which they performed a recital from the works of poet Mihai Eminescu, reciting the poem “Glossă.” The deputy PM appreciated the students’ interest in the Romanian language and their familiarization with the cultural and academic environment of Moldova. He also encouraged the students to visit Moldova through educational programmes and exchanges of experience.

“The knowledge of a foreign language opens up new perspectives and helps to better understand a people’s culture. I am pleased by the interest and dedication to the Romanian language here in Beijing. I am impressed by the beautiful accent you have. We want the young people who study Romanian in Beijing to maintain this closeness to the culture and values of Moldova and, in time, through their experiences, to contribute to strengthening relations between our countries,” said Mihai Popsoi.

During the discussion with the students, the minister also referred to the European path of Moldova and the transformations the country is undergoing in the process of modernization and rapprochement with the European Union.

Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popsoi is paying an official visit to the People’s Republic of China on May 21-25, this year, at an invitation by his counterpart, Wang Yi. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen the bilateral dialogue and promote economic, trade, investment, cultural, educational and tourism cooperation between the two states.

The last visit of a Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova to the People’s Republic of China took place in 2018.