The South African government has announced a plan to set up Chinese language classes for students at school.
Authorities say the Chinese language has received more and more attention since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1998. School students from grades four to twelve will have the opportunity to take Chinese language classes and learn about Chinese culture from January 1st next year.
Due to a lack of Chinese teachers, the Chinese Language Education Foundation in South Africa is trying to cultivate more educators for the scheme.
"President Xi Jinping's visit will further strengthen the trade between China and Africa. More and more people now realize the importance of Chinese language and culture when doing business with China. Now we will cultivate more teachers and talents to go to schools to teach Chinese, so that people can get better understanding about our culture," Han Fang, chief of Chinese Language Education Foundation in S. Africa, said.