United Arab Emirates (UAE) became the first Arabic-speaking country to include Chinese language in the country’s national education system, China’s Confucius Institute Headquarters announced on its Wechat account on Monday.

Ma Jianfei, Secretary of the Party Committee of Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) and Education Minister of UAE Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi exchanged the MOU document during a ceremony in Beijing on Monday. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi of the UAE witnessed the exchange ceremony of multiple cooperation documents between the two countries.

According to the MOU, both sides will closely work together in the field of Chinese language education, selecting Chinese-language teachers, assigning Chinese-language experts, compiling textbooks, and establishing Chinese learning centers at public schools in the UAE. 

The MOU would not only promote the popularity of the Chinese language in the UAE and bilateral cultural exchanges, but also deepen the understanding and friendship between the two sides, said the institute.

The Confucius Institute Headquarters has sent 33 teachers to 15 UAE primary and middle schools and related teaching consultants to the country’s education ministry. This year, over 100 Chinese language teachers will be recruited according to the requirement of the UAE.  

By the end of 2018, a total of 8,031 students had been registered in the two Confucius Institutes in the UAE.