The Fryske Akademy informed the Chinese visitors about the Frisian language, sociolinguistics, and the Frisian Language surveys – another survey will be conducted in 2009. The Chinese also got information about the contribution of the Fryske Akademy to the language policy of the Province of Fryslân. Furthermore, attention was paid to the expertise of the Mercator Research Centre and to the opportunities of its international networks. The last presentation focused on the learning and teaching of minority languages in Europe; in that context the report  Minimum standards, which was written by Mercator last year and commissioned by the Council of Europe, was discussed. The presentations provided the Chinese with useful new information and resulted in a lively discussion on language policy, minorities, migration, and endangered languages.

At the moment a census is in preparation in Nanking. As part of the census the researchers want to record all minority languages in China too. During the visit a possible – scientific – contribution of the Mercator Research Centre and the Fryske Akademy to this study was discussed. That is why a delegation of the Mercator Research Centre and the Fryske Akademy has been invited to pay a return visit to the Institute for Linguistic and Strategic Studies of the University of Nanking.

The Chinese delegation consisted of professor Ding Fan (dean) and professor Wang Minsheng (head research), their interpreters: Ms Cahoiju Tang and Ms dr. Yayi Chen, and their Dutch hosts: dr. Marinus van den Berg (Leiden University) and dr. Hans van de Velde (Utrecht University).