On 7th September 2021, the School of Asian Studies of Beijing Foreign Studies University held the opening ceremony of the Dhivehi language program, which has been the first time a Dhivehi course was offered in a Chinese university. The ceremony was hosted by Zhu Fangfang, the Dhivehi teacher in the school of Asian Studies.
Professor Zhao Gang, the Vice President of the University, and Sobah Rasheed, Deputy Ambassador of the Embassy of Maldives in China, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.
Deputy Ambassador Sobah Rasheed said that the Maldives is a small country and the unique language of Dhivehi is spoken only in the Maldives, and this is the first time in history that a course dedicated to Dhivehi has been offered in an international university.
The introduction of a Dhivehi language course at BFSU is not only a testimony to the long-standing friendly relationship between the Maldives and China, but also a model for the international community to build efficient ties and develop further engagement between a large country and a country of small size.
On December 9, several Chinese students studying Dhivehi language at BFSU visited the Embassy of Maldives in China. Ambassador Azeema addressed the students virtually and the Embassy gave a presentation about dhivehi language, Maldives history and culture.
In the past year, students are making progress every day. As the first university in China to offer the Dhivehi language program, Beijing Foreign Studies University is making a positive contribution to the further deepening of friendly exchanges between the two countries.
The preparation of establishment of Chinese Language Center in Maldives dated back in 2019 but was postponed later because of Covid-19. Chinese Ambassador Wang Lixin’s visit to Villa College in April 2022 sped up the preparations of Chinese Language Center, which will be launched at Villa College very soon. The two language programs will make more contributions to the further deepening of friendly exchanges between the two peoples in the days to come.
