The Confucius Institute works in partnership with Fudan University. It is managed by the University of Sydney's Office of Global and Research Engagement.
Fudan University is the Chinese partner university for the University of Sydney Confucius Institute (agreement 2018-2023). Fudan University is a member of the Universitas 21 and Association of Pacific Rim Universities networks. The QS World University Rankings (2024) place it 50th worldwide.
The University of Sydney Confucius Institute runs non-award Chinese language courses through the Centre for Continuing Education.
An updated agreement between the two universities was signed on 20 June 2023 by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, Professor Mark Scott, and the President of Fudan University, Professor Jin Li.
The University's Office of Global and Research Engagement creates partnerships with universities and research institutes to foster research and teaching cooperation, and provide opportunities for staff and students to exchange ideas with bright minds worldwide.
The Office is committed to giving researchers the support they need to find solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. It also provides international leadership programs that enrich the professional development of staff and students and help them realise their potential.
On 26 March 2021, the Attorney-General’s Department revoked the provisional transparency notice previously issued to the Confucius Institute under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018.
The provisional transparency notice was issued by the Attorney-General's Department on 26 February under subsection 14B (1) of the Act.
On 5 March, Professor Duncan Ivison, Chair of the Confucius Institute Board, made a submission to the Attorney-General’s department asking for the accuracy of the notice to be reconsidered in light of the new agreement between the University of Sydney and Fudan University, which took effect on 3 March 2021. The new agreement is included as an attachment to Professor Ivison’s submission.
Iain Anderson, Acting Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department, said in a letter to Professor Ivison that the new agreement changed the governance arrangements for the Institute significantly, and he was no longer satisfied that the Institute was a ‘foreign government related entity’ for the purposes of the Act.
View all transparency notices on the Attorney-General’s Department website.