Increasing demand for Chinese language in Namibia– ambassador

Chinese ambassador to Namibia Zhao Weiping says there is an increasing need for Chinese language learning in Namibia, with more teaching sites required.

“I will work hard to get more resources for that purpose. I do hope that, with our joint efforts, Chinese language teaching benefits more Namibian people,” he says.

Weiping was speaking during the recent ‘International Chinese Language Day and ‘Chinese Bridge’ Chinese-proficiency Competition for College and Secondary School Students’ at the University of Namibia (Unam) in Windhoek this week.

“In a globalised world, it’s not difficult to understand the importance of learning foreign languages. It helps us know the outside world better and interact smoothly with people from different cultural backgrounds,” he said.

Weiping further noted that the development of technology and various translation machines may aid foreigners in communication but doesn’t eliminate the need to study a foreign language.

He commended Unam and all schools in Namibia for their vision in promoting foreign languages, including Chinese.

He said it fosters global awareness among Namibian students.

“Namibia is a country with enormous potential for economic development. It’s for sure that Namibia’s international economic cooperation will reach a new level in the coming five or 10 years. Namibians, especially young people, need to be well prepared for that,” he said.

He also noted that they are not only promoting Chinese language teaching and learning in Namibia but also strengthening cultural exchanges and friendships between the two countries.

“Today, we will also have the ‘‘Chinese Bridge’ Chinese-proficiency Competition for College and Secondary School Students’, which will be a good demonstration of our achievements in Chinese language teaching and learning in Namibia,” he added.