Addis Ababa, June 03, 2023 (FBC) – A Chinese proficiency competition for Ethiopian university and secondary school students with the view to enhancing cultural relationship between the two countries has taken place here in Addis Ababa today.
Some 16 university and 6 secondary school students participated in the final round competition.
The talent show included singing Chinese songs, Chinese dancing, poetry recitation, cross talk, tongue twisters, Huangmei Opera, and martial arts performance.
Special prizes, first to third prizes, and excellence awards were given to the twenty two contestants.
The winners in the university and the secondary school group categories will go to China to participate in the finals, it was learned.
Speaking on the occasion, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Zhiyuan said that he is very confident that those Chinese learners in Ethiopia and Amharic learners in China will become ambassadors of friendship in the near future.
“I am very confident that those Chinese learners in Ethiopia and Amharic learners in China will become Sino-Ethiopia ambassadors of friendship in the near future, contributing to the consolidation of the bridge of brotherly relationship between our two countries, to the building of the bridge of a community with a shared future for our two people.”
He added that the competition is an important platform to promote exchanges and friendship between Chinese and foreign students, and an important bridge to promote people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Since the first round competition in 2002, more than 1.4 million non-native Chinese language learners from more than 150 countries have participated in the Chinese proficiency competitions, Ambassador Zhiyuan stated.
Representing the Internationalization and Scholarship Desk of the Ministry of Education, Terefe Belay said that the two countries have a long-standing relationship.
According to him, strengthening cultural ties between the peoples of the countries will further consolidate the cultural relationship.
‘The relationship between Ethiopia and China is long standing. It has been around for long. Both countries have great cultural and ancient heritages. Therefore, in order to strengthen the brotherly relationship between the two countries, it will make them more effective if people learn each other’s culture, languages through academic exchange.’