BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese official said Monday that China will continue to support the building of Confucius Institute to futher promote cultural exchanges.

While addressing the opening ceremony of the sixth conference of Confucius Institutes in Beijing, State Councilor Liu Yandong said Confucius Institutes have helped bring the Chinese language to the world and introduce foreign langauges into China.

The Chinese government will continue to support the construction of Confucious Institute and give full play to its role in promoting cultural exchanges, said Liu, also president the Confucius Institute Headquarters council.

The Confucius Institute, named after ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, is a non-profit public institution which aims to promote Chinese language and culture in foreign countries.

According to the Confucius Institute Headquarters, more than 350 Confucius Institutes and 500 Confucius Classrooms have been founded in 101 countries and regions.

Li Changchun, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, also attended the opening ceremony of the annual conference