Chinese President Xi Jinping recently wrote back to representatives of Chinese language learners in Saudi Arabia, encouraging Saudi youths to learn Chinese well and make new contributions to strengthening the China-Saudi Arabia and China-Arab friendship.

Noting that language is the best key to understanding a country, Xi said he is sincerely glad that the youths have learned about a colorful, multi-dimensional and comprehensive China through learning Chinese and participating in the "Chinese Bridge" exchange program.

At present, both Chinese people and Saudi people are working hard to realize their great dreams. Learning each other's language and understanding each other's history and culture will help promote mutual understanding and forge closer bonds between the people of the two countries, and also contribute to building a human community with a shared future, Xi said.

Youth breeds infinite hope and the younger generation is the future of China-Saudi Arabia and China-Arab friendship, said the Chinese president, expressing his hope that the students will cherish the good times and study hard to make new contributions to enhancing the friendship between the Chinese and Saudis as well as between the Chinese and the Arabs in general.

Xi said the students are welcome to visit China where they can enhance mutual understanding and develop a long-term friendship with Chinese youths to jointly create a better future for China-Saudi Arabia and China-Arab relations.

More than 100 young Chinese-language learners and lovers from Saudi Arabia wrote to Xi recently to share what they have gained from learning the Chinese language and their thoughts, express their wish to learn more about China, and voice their determination to become young envoys for promoting the friendship between Saudi Arabia and China.

So far, Saudi Arabia has included the Chinese language in its educational system, set up majors related to the Chinese language in nine universities, trained more than 300 local Chinese-language teachers, organized over 1,100 college students to participate in the "Chinese Bridge" online winter camps, and supported more than 1,000 college students in joining the online programs of the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship.

(Cover: Ahmad Sulaiman, the first place winner, participates in the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition for university students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, July 20, 2022. /Xinhua)