Xiamen University is the partner University of sixteen universities worldwide that have a Confucius Institute at their respective institutions. At this year’s annual meeting of the directors of these Institutes, on 3 December 2015 Xiamen University offered its 2015 Confucius Institute outstanding achievement award to Professor Anthony J. Frendo, the local director of the Institute at UOM. Xiamen University wanted to show its appreciation to the way Professor Frendo ran the Institute and its various programmes of studies, as well as for his fostering collaborative exchanges between Xiamen University and UOM. The award was given in absentia since Professor Frendo could not be present at the meeting.