An inaugural ceremony was held on Friday in Tianjin to mark the establishment of the first pair of official Chinese Learning and Testing Centers in China and abroad.

The centers were set up by Chinese Test International, Tianjin Normal University and Thanh Dong University in Vietnam. They are located at the two universities.

The centers, the first of their kind, will offer a complete range of standardized training and testing, including the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test), BCT (Business Chinese Test), YCT (Youth Chinese Test), MCT(Medical Chinese Test) and CTCSOL (Certificate for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages). They will also offer systematic teacher training, and international Chinese teacher qualification certifications.

Zhong Yinghua, president of Tianjin Normal University, said: "The new center signifies the birth of an innovative integrated Chinese language learning service institution that meets the demands of the times. It will also serve as a gateway to attract more excellent international students to study in Tianjin and China, thus becoming an important bridge to better connect and serve domestic and international teachers and students in the field of international Chinese education."

Li Peize, president of Chinese Test International (Beijing) CoLtd, said: "The center will fully leverage the collaborative advantages of the three parties, and aims to further deepen the friendship and mutual development of China and Vietnam, Tianjin and the world in terms of language, culture and educational exchange, making new and greater contributions to friendly relations and common development between China and foreign countries."

Nguyen Thi Hoa Ly, vice-president of Thanh Dong University in Vietnam, a private university approved by the country's Ministry of Education, said: "The university will continue investing in human resources and infrastructure, with the goal of building the best Chinese language proficiency test center in Vietnam."