The University of Edinburgh has been an outward-looking international university from its beginning in 1583, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It has responded strongly to the modern challenge for internationalization in a world made more complex by the immediacy of modern communication. It has formulated an international strategy focusing on global education of staff, students and knowledge transfer activities.

As China has emerged onto the world stage with new enlightened policies for international collaboration in education and research, it was natural for the University of Edinburgh to respond with enthusiasm to the opportunity to enhance its historical engagement with China.

So how can the Confucius Institute within the university provide an ideal platform to deliver global education? And how do we pursue that aim in our own institute?

Global education means training a new generation of global citizens who understand and appreciate their global interconnectedness. We didn't have to wait for the current global economic crisis to know that a bank collapse in the United States could impact upon the savings account of a Scotsman in the Orkney Islands. Nevertheless it has made everybody more aware of the interconnectedness of global affairs. China, with its new governmental policies, plays an important strategic role within these developments.

Confucius Institutes worldwide can become key players in explaining China's new role, making it understandable to academics, the general public and young students alike.

As a cultural institution run by academic experts within universities, Confucius Institutes are well placed to promote a thorough understanding of Chinese culture based on China's outstanding historical traditions - a knowledge, which is an essential basis to engage in public debates, and to address contemporary challenging global issues.

In our institute we regularly organize lectures by academics and public intellectuals from China, the US, Europe and also Scotland. They have covered topics from labor migration to contemporary modern art, from stamp collections from the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) to the many facets of Confucianism in history and today.

However, as one scholar has put it recently, "China" is a "plural noun". China in its sheer size, complex history and diversity is not easy to explain.

Confucius Institutes must not only promote knowledge about China, but also serve as a platform facilitating engagement and the mutual exchange of ideas. China today has a focused and strategic approach to science and innovation. It has world-class universities; there have been dramatic increases in educational funding at every level. Only an open, diverse and globally engaged innovation system, which directs its energies toward shared global problems such as climate change and public health, will benefit China and also the wider world.

Yet, as a Chinese saying goes, bai wen bu ru yi jian, or "one hundred times listening is not as good as one time seeing". We understand that the global mobility of students and staff is a crucial element of global education. Our institute is organizing workshops for students going to China to prepare them for their studies. It serves as a point of reference for information about traveling, studying or working in China, and helps to prepare individuals for their trips. We even advised the director of our city's zoo before traveling to China to discuss the possibility of bringing pandas to Edinburgh.

For schoolchildren, the Confucius Institutes needs to excite their interest in China. Our young people need to acquire a full range of skills and abilities relevant to growing, living and working in the contemporary world.

Last, as joint enterprises between the Chinese and local people, Confucius Institutes should not only be locations for learning, but also for social interactions and for developing friendships.

For a large group of Chinese students at my university, the Confucius Institute has become a location where they can engage in cross-cultural activities and help support their homeland. During the past year we have recruited about 40 volunteers to help in a broad range of activities ranging from setting up the institute library to facilitating events.

Our invitation to a Chinese New Year celebration received an enthusiastic response from more than 250 students who came to celebrate this most important Chinese family event in the traditional way. We realize that people are not only connected intellectually, true collaborations and links are not confined to academic endeavors.

We use a Chinese saying as the motto for our university's graduation ceremony, but it could just as well serve as a motto for global education in Confucius Institutes: "Learning has no boundaries."

The author is principal of the University of Edinburgh, and sits on the Council of the Confucius Institute Headquarters. The above is adapted from a speech he gave to the 3rd Annual Confucius Institute Conference at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing.