Chinese language learning surges globally
By Hu
Yuwei
Chinese
language education is increasingly sought after by more countries, global
representatives told the 2019 International Chinese Language Education
Conference on Monday, December 9 in Changsha, Central China’s Hunan Province.
Local
demand has been the main driver of Chinese language popularity, based on China’s
growing international influence and overseas trade, the representatives said.
More
than 1,000 delegates from over 160 countries attended the conference in
Beijing.
“As
China’s overall influence has increased and China-Japan relations have
improved, Chinese has become the second most spoken foreign language across Japanese
campuses in recent years,” said Tutaka Furukawa, former vice-president of the
International Society for Chinese Teaching, told the Global Times.
By
November, 69 countries and regions have officially incorporated Chinese
language teaching into their national education systems including the UK,
Russia, South Africa, Japan, South Korea and Australia.
Madagascar
will join the list next year, said Andriamamonjy Oniniaina, a Confucius
Institute teacher at the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Chinese-speaking
talent is in a great demand in countries that have joined the Belt and Road Initiative, Andriamamonjy said.
Confucius
institutes have attracted many young Africans by integrating Chinese learning
with e-commerce, agricultural and IT technologies, Andriamamonjy said.
Combining
Chinese language learning with vocational training has become a trend of
Confucius institutes in Southeast Asia and African countries, Andriamamonjy
told the Global Times.
“The
ability to speak Chinese can triple their salaries,” she said.
There
are reportedly 550 Confucius institutes and 1,172 Confucius classrooms in 162
countries and regions. About 100 million people are learning Chinese globally.
In 2019,
eight countries - Haiti, the Central African Republic, Chad, North Korea,
Maldives, East Timor, Saudi Arabia and Dominica - applied to set up institutes
for the first time.
Source:Global Times
International students
experienced Kung Fu Tea at the Tea Culture Experience Hall in Haiqing Town,
Qingdao. (Photo by Zhang Jingang from People’s Daily Online)
Chinese language learning surges globally
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