On the morning of April 19, coinciding with the traditional Chinese solar term "Grain Rain" and the 15th United Nations Chinese Language Day, the opening ceremony of the 2024 International Chinese Language Day and the launch of the "Chinese Bridge" Spring Camp for Youth from Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, hosted by Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), was grandly held. During the event, President Duan Peng met with Saudi Arabian Ambassador to China Abdulrahman Alharbi and his delegation.
Leveraging the "Mini-United Nations" Educational Strengths to Support Saudi Chinese Education Development
President Duan Peng extended a welcome to Ambassador Abdulrahman Alharbi on behalf of BLCU and introduced the university's history and distinctive mission. As the only university in China founded with "language" in its name and primarily dedicated to disseminating Chinese language and culture, BLCU has, over its more than 60 years, trained nearly 300,000 international alumni from 189 countries and regions who are proficient in Chinese and familiar with China. This includes over 80 foreign dignitaries at the deputy prime minister level or above, earning BLCU the reputation of being a "Mini-United Nations."
BLCU's efforts in Chinese education for Saudi Arabia and other Arabic-speaking regions began early, accepting students from Saudi Arabia and other Arabic countries since its founding and having trained over 15,000 students from Arabic regions to date. As the designated supporting university, BLCU has achieved several milestones in promoting high-quality Chinese education development in Saudi Arabia. President Duan stated that to further deepen language and cultural exchanges with Saudi Arabia, BLCU will focus on the following areas: First, strengthening talent cultivation by focusing on professional Chinese talent and "Chinese+" applied talent; Second, assisting in building standards and teaching systems for Chinese education in Saudi Arabia; Third, co-establishing a Confucius Institute with Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Saudi Arabia; Fourth, enhancing high-level cultural exchanges to expand depth and breadth.
Ambassador Abdulrahman Alharbi highly recognized BLCU's outstanding contributions to China-Saudi educational cooperation. He noted that BLCU, with its strong team of experts and rich teaching resources, has fully supported the development of Chinese education in Saudi Arabia, training a large number of excellent Chinese talent and seed teachers. The embassy's Cultural Counselor Dr. Amoun, an outstanding BLCU alumnus, is a prime example. Ambassador Abdulrahman Alharbi emphasized that Chinese is a key to bridging friendship and, as the Saudi ambassador, he will spare no effort to facilitate various collaborations.
Jointly Composing a New Chapter in China-Saudi Exchanges Through Cooperation
President Duan Peng stressed that President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to China-Saudi friendly relations and proposed the "Eight Major Common Actions" for China-Arab practical cooperation at the first China-Arab States Summit, including the "Youth Talent Development Common Action." BLCU serves as the lead institution for the youth talent component of the "China-Arab Universities 10+10 Cooperation Plan," viewing this as both an honor and a responsibility. BLCU will uphold its mission and fulfill this task effectively.
Ambassador Abdulrahman Alharbi mentioned that Crown Prince Salman visited China 19 years ago, and President Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia 22 years ago, initiating the "Three Rings Summit" and formulating plans for training Saudi Chinese teachers. President Xi's 2022 visit to Saudi Arabia opened a new journey of mutual understanding between the two countries, signing a series of agreements including cultural protocols, with language teaching being paramount—particularly sending Chinese teachers to Saudi Arabia and training local Saudi Chinese teachers. For this, he expressed special thanks to BLCU for providing learning opportunities for Saudi teachers, enabling them to return with full gains.
Finally, President Duan Peng introduced BLCU's established Center for World Sinology to Ambassador Abdulrahman Alharbi and welcomed him to visit the center at his convenience. Ambassador Abdulrahman Alharbi gladly accepted the invitation and fully affirmed the global influence of Chinese, hoping Arabic could develop similarly. He mentioned that celebrations for Arabic Language Day will be held in December and invited President Duan to attend.
Under the guidance and promotion of the leaders of China and Saudi Arabia, China-Saudi relations have entered the "fast lane," with deepening political mutual trust and expanding cooperation in various fields. Amid this historical opportunity, BLCU will leverage its strengths as an international university, relying on its extensive expert team, high-quality teaching resources, and rich experience in teaching and training, to effectively support Chinese education in Saudi Arabia. This will contribute to state-to-state relations, people-to-people affinity, and heart-to-heart connectivity between China and Saudi Arabia.
(Edited by: Junyi Wang)
