Learning Mandarin increses opportunities for professional, international success: rector of Angolan top university

Pedro Magalhaes, rector of Agostinho Neto University (UAN), speaks during an opening ceremony for Mandarin language training in Luanda, Angola, March 5, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Yahui)

LUANDA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- "Learning Mandarin (standard Chinese language) increases opportunities for professional and international success," said Pedro Magalhaes, rector of Agostinho Neto University (UAN), one of Angola's top universities, on Tuesday.

"Mandarin learners have a strong advantage that assists them in academic exchanges, scientific research and various fields," Magalhaes said at a ceremony in Luanda, Angola's capital, marking the start of Mandarin language training for members of the Angolan Foreign Migration Service.

The event also featured the signing of an agreement between the UAN's Confucius Institute and the Foreign Migration Service.

With the opening of a Mandarin class, the UAN Confucius Institute is providing the Angolan Foreign Migration Service with an important tool to improve communication, thus enhancing Angola's image abroad, Magalhaes said.

The training will also contribute to stronger relations between the peoples of Angola and China, he said.

Magalhaes said that since 2014, the UAN Confucius Institute has trained over 2,000 young people, adding that it is hoped that local Chinese language teachers would be trained through the Confucius Institute for the sustainable development of Chinese teaching in Angola.

Joao Dias, the director general of the Angolan Foreign Migration Service, said that language plays an important role in relations between peoples, and learning Chinese will help promote exchanges between different cultures and advance cooperation among countries.

According to Zhao Yufeng, co-director of the UAN Confucius Institute, the first Mandarin training course for the Angolan Foreign Migration Service will start next Tuesday, and 50 trainees are expected to be enrolled. The one-year course will involve two classes each week.

This photo taken on March 5, 2024 shows the opening ceremony of a Mandarin language training in Luanda, capital of Angola.(Xinhua/Li Yahui)

Joao Dias, the director general of the Angolan Foreign Migration Service, speaks during an opening ceremony for Mandarin language training in Luanda, capital of Angola, March 5, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Yahui)