Over 500 Confucius Institutes founded in 142 countries, regions

Participants pose for a photo during the opening ceremony of the first Confucius Institute in Venezuela, at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec 16, 2016. [File photo/Xinhua]

A total of 516 Confucius Institutes and 1,076 Confucius Classrooms have been established in 142 countries and regions, according to the Confucius Institute Headquarters.

Among them, 135 Confucius Institutes were set up in 51 countries along the Belt and Road, it said in a statement.

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.

Since the Confucius Institute was established 13 years ago, more than 7 million students have been trained worldwide and 2.1 million are currently studying, it said.

The Confucius Institute, named after the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, is a non-profit public institution which aims to promote Chinese language and culture in foreign countries.

With the development of China's economy and its extensive international exchanges, the global demand for learning Chinese has dramatically increased, it said.

At present, 67 countries have enacted laws or regulations that list Chinese study as part of their national education systems, and Chinese majors or courses are offered in more than 170 countries.