Cairo: A Saudi state university has said it will begin teaching the Chinese language as ties between the kingdom and China are thriving.
The University of Jeddah said on its twitter account that it will teach Chinese starting from the new academic year, becoming the first academic institution in Saudi Arabia to take such a step. The University of Jeddah was established in 2014 in the western Saudi city of the same name.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia started teaching the Chinese language in eight high schools as part of efforts to boost links between the two countries.
The eight boys schools included four in the capital Riyadh, two in Jeddah and two others in the Eastern region.
The Saudi Education Ministry plans to teach Chinese on a larger scale including in girls’ schools, according to media reports. China is Saudi Arabia’s prime trade partner.
Last year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman visited China where it was agreed to work out a plan for introducing the Chinese language into curricula of schools and universities in the kingdom.
