LJUBLJANA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 distinguished guests from the business, education, and cultural sectors of both China and Slovenia gathered here Tuesday to mark the 15th anniversary of the Confucius Institute Ljubljana.

Zhao Binghui, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Slovenia, spoke highly of the Institute's contributions to deepening multi-level and multi-field exchanges between China and Slovenia by promoting high-quality Chinese language education and organizing diverse cultural activities over the past 15 years.

The Institute was jointly established by the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE) and the University of Ljubljana in May 2010.

To date, the Institute has established five Confucius Classrooms and 26 teaching centers throughout Slovenia, providing Chinese language education from kindergarten to university level. "Language is a bridge for exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations," he noted.

Qi Ming, chairman of SUIBE, also emphasized the Institute's role as a vital bridge between the two universities, helping foster mutual understanding between the Chinese and Slovenian peoples. He noted the partnership has led to diverse collaborations, including faculty and student exchanges, as well as joint research initiatives.

Meanwhile, Danijela Voljc, the Slovenian director of the Institute, said that over 600 Slovenians are currently studying Chinese through its programs. Over the past 15 years, the Institute has trained several thousand more students, bringing Chinese and Slovenian cultures closer together, the director added.

Since 2012, Chinese has been officially included in Slovenia's national education system.■