“A number of students and officials from private and state sectors in Laos are now registering to study the Chinese language and culture in order to prepare for Chinese investment in Laos,“ said Prof. Khamhoung Senemany, Director of the Confucius Institute at the National University of Laos.
Prof. Khamhoung Senemany told the reporter from the Lao News Agency (KPL) recently that the increasing number of Lao students interested in Chinese is because of the huge number of Chinese investors in Laos. China is also one of the three top foreign investors in Laos. He added that the learning of Chinese is also a significant bridge to enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the Laos and China.
According to Prof. Khamhoung Senemany, almost all of the Lao students who have registered for Chinese courses believe that speaking Chinese will help them to find jobs with Chinese companies.
In order to ensure that demand in the labour market is met in the near future, and with the upcoming integration with the ASEAN Economic Community, Lao students and young people need to study not only the main subjects but also should equip themselves with English, Japanese and Chinese languages, said Prof. Khamhoung Senemany.
The Confucian Institute has been open in Laos since 2010 and so far 9 Chinese courses have been held with 8,500 students.
This year, more than 900 students have registered to for the course, added Prof. Khamhoung Senemany