BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- A national Russian proficiency contest for college students kicked off in Beijing Saturday, with 359 contestants from 144 universities and colleges across China competing in the two-day event.
Organized by the Ministry of Education and hosted by Beijing Foreign Studies University, the contest will test students' Russian language skills and their knowledge of Russian culture, history and traditions.
As relations between China and Russia continue to develop at a high level, the two countries are in dire need of personnel who are proficient in each other's languages, said Li Hai, a senior official with the ministry.
More than 30,000 students now major in Russian in over 160 universities and colleges across China, and more than 100 Russian language centers have been set up by the two countries, Li said.
The contest, the 12th of its kind, will award 60 outstanding participants, who will study in Russia on a full scholarship offered by the China Scholarship Council.
Initiated in 2008, the contest has helped raise students' enthusiasm in studying Russian language and culture and promote Russian language education in China.
