On April 20, 2022, the Chinese Embassy in Cuba held an event to celebrate the 2022 International Chinese Language Day, on the theme of "Sharing the beauty of Chinese language, building a better future together". Ambassador Ma Hui attended the event and delivered a keynote speech. Alberto Jesús Blanco Silva, Director of the Asia And Oceania Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Maria Victoria Villavicencio, Director of the International Relations Division of the Ministry of Higher Education, Marian Chorens Cruz, Director of the International Relations Division of the Ministry of Education, Cai Marie, Lei Gallardo, Vice Presidents of the China-Cuba Friendship Association, representatives of local Chinese language teachers, learners and Chinese culture enthusiasts. More than 50 representatives from Chinese and Cuban media attended the event.

In his speech, Ma Hui said that Chinese characters are one of the oldest and most unique scripts in the world. Chinese characters are the epitome of Chinese history, witnessing the glorious history of Chinese people with its uninterrupted and long-standing origin; Chinese characters, as a cultural treasure, travels together with Chinese culture and has written an immortal chapter of Chinese civilization; Chinese characters have carried the friendship between China and the world and promoted mutual learning and understanding. It is a gem of Chinese civilization for the world. By reading Chinese characters, one can truly get immersed in the splendid Chinese culture; by using Chinese characters, one can have a dialogue with the ancient Chinese civilization; by mastering Chinese characters, one can unlock the code of the continuous bloodline of the Chinese land for thousands of years; by learning Chinese well, one can understand modern China more deeply. With China's expanded international influence and the new vitality of this ancient script, the "Chinese language craze" continues to rise in the world. By the end of 2021, more than 1,500 Confucius Institutes and classes have been established in 159 countries in cooperation with China, Chinese language education programs have been launched in more than 180 countries, and 76 countries have included Chinese in their national education systems. At present, more than 25 million people outside China are learning Chinese, and the cumulative number of learners and users is nearly 200 million. The role of Chinese language in international communication is becoming increasingly prominent. International Chinese language education is an important public product of language and culture that China provides to the world.

Ma Hui also said that this year marks the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the Chinese diaspora in Cuba, since which Chinese culture has gradually become an important part of Cuba's multiculturalism. From the secondary vocational education qualification courses at the Confucius Institutes, to the optional courses at the University of Havana and at Rodriguez High School, Chinese language education in Cuba has continued to leap to a new level, which is not only favorable to Cuba, but also reflects the result of China-Cuba friendship and cooperation. It is hoped that more and more Cuban students will get closer to Chinese characters, Chinese language and China, and be the promoters, facilitators and contributors of Sino-Cuban friendship.

In his speech, Rivero, the representative of the Cuban Ministry of Education, thanked the Chinese government for its long-standing support to the teaching of Chinese in Cuba. The project of teaching Chinese language in secondary schools, which was launched in March this year, is of great significance and more of these programs are expected to come. 

Yorbelis Rosell, Cuban Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Havana introduced the achievements of the Confucius Institute over the past 10 years and the efforts made to consolidate the friendship and deepen people-to-people and cultural cooperation between Cuba and China.

Raquel Doranso, a teacher from the Confucius Institute at the University of Havana who went to China in 2018 to participate in the Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for World University Students and won the prize, recalled her own journey of Chinese learning and how it changed her life. She said that the Chinese Language Day was a unique event that made her feel the charm of Chinese culture again and "truly appreciate that the Chinese language is like an invisible bridge that connects the world."

The International Chinese Language Day was filled with a variety of cultural experience activities. The guests enjoyed the short film "Five Thousand Years of Chinese Characters", watched the Photo Exhibition of Chinese Stories and participated in interactive activities such as ‘Look at the Picture and Guess Chinese Characters'. The Confucius Institute teachers demonstrated Chinese calligraphy and invited the audience to have a try, while Alberto Blanco Silva wrote "古中同舟共济" (Cuba and China are in the same boat) with a brush. The students of Confucius Institute of Havana University recited a Chinese poem "A Short Song Ballad", and those from the Cuban Martial Arts School performed Baduanjin and Mulan Fan, which won great applause. (cited from Center for Language Education and Cooperation, source from Official Website of the Embassy of the people's Republic of China in Cuba)