Chinese universities to offer Urdu classes

BEIJING: Two universities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur region will add Urdu and Farsi (Persian) to their undergraduate curriculum.

Shihezi University and Xinjiang Normal University based in Urumqi are setting up Urdu and Farsi departments, respectively, and start enrolling students nationwide this summer, according to a Shihezi University press release on Monday.

Urdu is the official language of Pakistan. In 2013, China and Pakistan started to build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a 3,000-km network of roads, railways and pipelines linking Xinjiang's Kashgar and southwest Pakistan's Gwadar Port.

Farsi is the official language in Iran and Tajikistan, and a major language in Afghanistan. 

Currently only six universities in China offer Farsi as a major, producing less than 500 people proficient in the language, Xinjiang's increasing cooperation in trade and counter-terrorism with Farsi-speaking countries requires more advanced Farsi language learners, it said.

UVAS organises Chinese language course

The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore organised a two-week basic Chinese language course under the Pak-China Desk here on City Campus.

Dean Faculty of Bio-sciences Prof Dr Habibur Rehman chaired the inaugural session of the Chinese course. A large number of UVAS undergraduate and postgraduate students participated to for learn the Chinese language.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Dr Habibur Rehman said i twould be very beneficial for students to avail opportunities in China regarding scholarships and jobs for their bright future.