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‘Language of great impact’: Saudi Arabia to introduce Chinese in school curriculum to boost China trade

‘Language of great impact’: Saudi Arabia to introduce Chinese in school curriculum to boost China trade

Saudi-China

The Saudi ministry will soon start teaching Chinese language and literature in educational institutions as part of the curriculum, according to an agreement signed by the Saudi Arabian and Chinese governments.The initiative also includes teaching Mandarin to Saudi teachers and exposing them to Chinese culture.

An education professortold Arab News that learning Chinese will also promote trade relations between the two countries. Saudi Arabia is China's largest trading partner in West Asia.

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The idea of introducing the Chinese language in the education curriculum in Saudi was introduced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2019.

Saudi education experts claim that the language will soon become a language of great impact in the future.

An assistant professor at King Abdulaziz University said, "Everyone is well aware of the international trend for learning the Chinese language, even in developed countries where politicians are proud of their sons and daughters speaking Chinese."

Saudi recently saw a huge influx of Chinese investment, which will open doors to cooperation with companies and enhance both trade and knowledge.

Brown Li, a Chinese instructor, claimed that Chinese is one of the six official languages at the UN and is spoken by 20 per cent of the world population.

He added, "More and more students are learning Chinese. As President Xi Jinping says, language is the best key to understanding a country."

A report by English.gov in 2021claimed that there were over25 million foreigners learning Chinese and over 200 have already learned it.

(With inputs from agencies)

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