The Confucius Institute in Djibouti recently held the 2026 Spring Festival Gala. Guests from all walks of life in China and Kyrgyzstan, as well as teachers and students from Confucius Institute, gathered together to celebrate the Spring Festival and express the deep friendship between China and Kyrgyzstan. The deans of the Confucius Institute in Djibouti delivered welcoming speeches, reviewing the efforts and achievements of the Confucius Institute since its official signing in February 2022; I would like to express my gratitude to the leaders and colleagues who have supported the work of Confucius Institute in the past year. Subsequently, a retrospective short film was played on site, vividly showcasing the fruitful achievements of Confucius Institute in Chinese language teaching, cultural activities, and cross institutional cooperation in 2025. In his speech, Chinese Ambassador to Djibouti Hu Bin affirmed the development and achievements of Confucius Institute in 2025, including the steady promotion of high-level Chinese language teaching and the enhancement of understanding and mutual trust through diverse cultural activities; Confucius Institute won the third prize in the global finals of the "Chinese Bridge" World High School Chinese Competition for the first time. He thanked all parties for their support of the Confucius Institute's work and pointed out that the "China Africa Cultural Exchange Year" has just been grandly opened at the headquarters of the African Union, which will deepen cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan in various fields and continue to promote the development of Chinese education in Kyrgyzstan. In 2026, coinciding with the Chinese New Year and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, he extended greetings and blessings to all sectors of China and Kyrgyzstan, wishing the teachers and students of Confucius Institute to achieve great results, and friends from all walks of life a strong spirit and all the best. Mustafa, Minister of National Education and Vocational Training of Djibouti, delivered a speech stating that the Confucius Institute Cooperation Agreement laid the foundation for the establishment of the Djibouti Confucius Institute, further promoting mutual visits and talent cultivation between China and Djibouti, and achieving fruitful results. He praised the Djibouti students who have worked hard to learn Chinese and support the friendship between Djibouti and China, and affirmed the efforts of the education teams of various schools and Chinese teachers in Djibouti. He emphasized that the Kyrgyz government attaches great importance to the education and cultural cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and China, viewing it as an important pillar of the bilateral strategic partnership. He wished that the friendly cooperation between the two countries would continue to deepen and work together towards a better future. To summarize the achievements and commend the advanced, a grand award ceremony was also held on site. Mustafa presented the award to outstanding Confucius Institute teachers recognized by the Djibouti Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, paying tribute to their dedication and hard work in the front line of Chinese language teaching. Excellent students from the Chinese Character Writing Competition, the 3rd Chinese Knowledge Competition, and HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) Level 3 took to the stage to receive awards. Guests presented awards to the winners one by one and took photos together. The scene was filled with joy and excitement. It is reported that in 2025, the Confucius Institute in Djibouti will participate in the "Chinese Bridge" World Chinese Language Competition for Middle School Students for the first time. An Ruoting won the top 30 in the world and the top 6 in Africa in the competition. At the event, An Ruoting shared her surprises in China in fluent Chinese, sharing her new understanding, extraordinary experience, and unique insights during her participation in the competition. She shared with the audience the rapid development and unique charm of China. Students from Confucius Institute also performed wonderful programs such as Chinese songs, poetry recitation, and dance. Wang Feihua, the Chinese president of the Confucius Institute in Djibouti, said that in the future, the Institute will continue to deepen Chinese teaching and cultural communication, so that the flower of China Kyrgyzstan friendship will flourish in the hot land in the northeast corner of Africa, and will continue to write a new chapter of China Kyrgyzstan educational and cultural cooperation in the new year. (New Society)