For this year, 13 participants took part in the competition with Rasti Rizgar, a woman from Sulaimani, and Hiwa Saadi, a man from Erbil securing the first and second places respectively.
The competition was divided into three categories; a Chinese martial arts performance, reading an article in the Chinese language, as well as a question and answer session in the language.
The competition took place jointly under the auspices of the Consulate General of China and the Chinese Language Department of Salahaddin University.
A total of 200 people attended the competition.
During the ceremony, a number of Chinese traditional martial art and dance performances took place to amuse the spectators.
Since 2019, the Chinese language department has been open at the Salahaddin University in Erbil with a total of 43 students graduating from the department so far.
China and the Kurdistan Region maintain strong closed ties over the course of the past years.
China opened its consulate in Erbil in 2014 and has shared close ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Former Chinese Consul-General Ni Ruchi in September 2021 told Rudaw that the KRG has plans to open a representation office in China, adding that despite the ongoing numerous projects with Chinese investment in the Kurdistan Region, they are also exploring cooperation projects in the fields of water resources, electricity, and oil refinement.
China’s interests in Iraq, anchored in energy to quench its growing needs, are expanding. Beijing is building power plants, factories, water treatment facilities, as well as badly needed schools across the country.
Dozens of contracts signed in recent years ensure China’s growing footprint.
