The Confucius Institute (CI) is an international, educational, non-profit institution aimed to teach the Chinese language and culture, and to promote educational co-operation between China and other countries. The CI Headquarters are located in Beijing, China.
So far, more than 300 Confucius Institutes were established all over the world in 90 different countries and regions. It is thought that approximately 40 million people are studying Chinese as a foreign language, worldwide.
The Confucius Institute at the University of Malta (CI at the UM) was established in 2009 through the co-operation between the University of Malta and Xiamen University, with the support of the Confucius Institute Headquarters.
