An artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo plays a traditional local musical instrument during a cultural show in Chengdu, Sichuan province. （Yu Ping / For China Daily）
Two sides seek to build upon already strong bilateral relationship
The first Confucius Institute in the Democratic Republic of Congo was founded on Aug 21 in Kinshasa, capital of this Central African country.
This is a significant event before the opening of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which is being held in the Chinese capital city on Monday and Tuesday, according to Wang Tongqing, Chinese ambassador to the country.
Wang said the institute is the fruit of the successful, practical exchanges between China and the DRC.
The school is jointly operated by the Central South University based in China's Hunan province, and the Foreign Affairs University of DRC.
Professor Dede Birhonga Ndemba, president of the DRC Foreign Affairs University, attended the 12th Confucius Institute Conference in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, on Aug 12, and was granted the license of the new institute by the Confucius Institute headquarters.
He visited Changsha, Hunan province, on Aug 15, to discuss with Central South University Vice-President Zhou Kechao the operations of the Confucius Institute in Kinshasa, according to a report posted on the Chinese university's official website.
