Students urged to benefit from CPEC opportunities by learning Chinese

A group of 30 students at the Pakistan Institute of Management (PIM) celebrated on Saturday their success on the completion of three-month diploma course in the Chinese language. The course was one of the 32 other courses offered by the PIM.

The institute also held a symposium, entitled “Chinese speaking forum”, in the honour of Zhang Jun, a Chinese teacher who trained the students, who were able to discuss various issues in the Chinese language at the event.

“Language is the doorway to understand the traditions and cultures of both the countries, Pakistan and China,” Jun said. “It is very encouraging that thousands of Pakistani students are keenly interested in learning the Chinese language.”

The people of China and Pakistan have enjoyed warm relations for decades. Many public sector universities in China have been teaching the Urdu language.

Also, Chinese professionals have offered scholarships to Pakistani students. Scores of Pakistani students from all the provinces are acquiring higher education in China. With increased economic cooperation between the two countries, interactions at various levels have been also increased.

While talking about the Chinese language, Jun said that generally, people believe that the language is very difficult in learning, which is not the fact. The students can complete their basic and beginner level in three months and other languages also need the same time for understanding, he explained.

“By understanding Chinese, Pakistani students will not only able to explore more about China, but also they will understand the rich heritage of the people of China.”

Muhammad Ovais, head of special projects and director of the Centre of Excellence at PIM, hailed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), saying it had opened new avenues of cultural interactions and people-to people contacts between China and Pakistan.

“With the CPEC projects, there is an increasing demand of translators to help Chinese experts and technicians in engaging at the local level,” he said, adding, “Pakistani students are very lucky because they have the opportunities of learning Mandarin from its native speakers who have been shifted from China to Pakistan.”

He said the PIM was the largest public sector institute that offered a number of courses to students, and the aim of these courses was to prepare skilled and educated employees.

A student, Pakeezah Baig, said, “The Chinese language will be a significant part of the business landscape of Pakistan in the near future. Therefore, educators need to realise the importance of Chinese language.”

If Pakistani students and researchers get command over the Chinese language, the student said, they will be able to explore more knowledge, particularly in the field of science. Similarly, she added, Pakistan is the closest neighbouring country of China that has a rich literature, but due to the communication barriers, our intellectuals and readers have not been benefited from that knowledge.

On the occasion, other graduated also spoke. They shed light on the importance of learning Chinese and the relations between the two countries.