SFU, Mali unveil Confucius Institute 　

The Yunnan-based Southwest Forestry University (SFU) and the Bamako Humanities University of Mali have jointly unveiled the first Confucius Institute in the African country on June 30, said an SFU personnel.

Lauding the newly-established Confucius Institute in his country, the Malian university head believed that mastering Chinese is a must for young people in the 21st century. SFU plans to further cooperate with Mali in economic forest planting, orchard cultivation, vegetation restoration, and eco-conservation. 

In cooperation with the Lycee Askia Mohamed School, SFU established the first Confucius Classroom in Mali in 2008. As of now, the SFU has trained more than 3,600 Malians in the Chinese language, and offered Confucius Institute scholarships to 50 plus students from the country.

Reporting by Liu Ziyu (Yunnan Daily); trans-editing by Wang Shixue