At the invitation of the Department of English and International Relations and the CFAU Foreign Affairs Office, Dr. Alex Sceberras Trigona, former foreign minister of the Republic of Malta, paid a visit to CFAU from 1st to 21st April 2018, during which time he gave lectures for students of the diplomatic interpreting class. This series of lectures inspired our students to broaden their horizons, to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the global political and economic landscape, and to press ahead with their study on global issues, including trilateral relations between China, Europe and the United States. Shi Yi, dean of the Department of English and International Relations, made arrangements for Dr. Trigona’s visit to CFAU. 

Dr. Trigona, foreign minister of the Republic of Malta from 1981 to 1987, is currently the representative of Malta at the WTO. During his visit to CFAU, Dr. Trigona delivered lectures mainly on Sino-US trade for students of the diplomatic interpreting class and organized simulation exercises of bilateral and multilateral consultation and negotiation, which covered economy, law and diplomacy. Dr. Trigona also gave a speech to students of other majors and grades on Europe-US relations, the WTO and related topics. 

After the series of lectures, Dr. Trigona spoke highly of the performance of the sophomores in the diplomatic interpreting class. Similarly, according to the feedback from our students at a meeting held by the Department of English and International Relations, the lectures by Dr. Trigona were informative, with quality reading material and original approach to discussion. Through these efforts, the Department of English and International Relations is exploring ways to promote the sustainable development of such curricula and mode of teaching.

The class for diplomatic interpreting set up at China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) is designed to prepare qualified interpreters and translators for careers in China’s diplomacy and foreign services.