Jordanians studying Chinese on the rise

Chinese Ambassador in Amman Yue Xiaoyong on Sunday said his country is looking forward to continued and solid cooperation with Jordan in the fields of education and culture. The ambassador made the remarks at a ceremony where he signed an agreement with Philadelphia University President Marwan Kamal to establish the Philadelphia-Confucius Institute. "This institute is the second of its kind in Jordan. The number of Jordanians studying Chinese is on the rise and there is huge demand in this regard," the ambassador said. "Learning our language helps enhance cultural exchange and understanding between the two nations and this is a key part of enhanced relations," the Chinese diplomat added. Kamal noted that learning Chinese is an asset nowadays. "China plays a major role in the world at the political and economic levels. China has a huge trade exchange with Jordan and the Arab world and those learning Chinese will be able to find jobs," he said, adding that “China is developing at a rapid pace and we can learn from its expertise”. Some 20,000 Arab traders have set up commercial offices in China, according to the Chinese embassy. The total trade volume between China and the 22 Arab states grew from $15.2 billion in 2000 to $108 billion in 2009 - a 611 per cent increase. Meanwhile, the trade volume between China and Jordan amounted to $2.08 billion in 2009, a 6.6 per cent increase compared to the previous year, according to statistics provided by Chinese customs. The population of China is estimated at 1.3 billion people, while about 200 million people in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and South Korea also speak the language, according to the Chinese embassy in Amman. There are seven official dialects and dozens of sub-dialects, but among the official dialects, Mandarin is the most commonly taught.