CAIRO: Mandarin teachers from China arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday to a warm welcome.
According to Gulf News, the teachers landed at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, in the northwestern region of Saudi Arabia.
They were greeted with Saudi coffee, a much-loved national beverage, and flowers.
The teachers are set to begin teaching Mandarin in public schools this academic year as part of a Saudi government initiative.
The Saudi Education Ministry said the language will be taught in schools in Riyadh, Yanbu, the Eastern Province, Jeddah, Jazan, and Tabuk, following a 2023 government decision to incorporate it alongside Arabic and English.
Around 175 Chinese language teachers will begin teaching in Saudi primary and middle schools, marking the first wave of Mandarin teachers in the kingdom.
The teachers completed their pre-service training at Tianjin Normal University.
The Saudi Education Ministry and the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation under China's Education Ministry co-organised the training with the university.
This initiative is part of an agreement made between the two countries last year to enhance cooperation in Chinese language education.
In 2020, Saudi education authorities began teaching Mandarin in eight high schools as part of efforts to strengthen ties between the two nations.
Saudi Arabia announced plans to expand Chinese language education following Chinese President Xi Jinping's official visit to the kingdom in late 2022, during which he met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz.