A new Confucius Institute jointly established by Beijing Foreign Studies University and Honghe University will open in Sri Lanka on September 27 to support Sri-Lanka's efforts in teaching mandarin.

With trade and commerce between China and Sri Lanka having experienced a boom in the last few years, more and more Chinese tourists have chosen to travel to Sri Lanka. Staff members from companies in Sri Lanka with Chinese investment and tourism workers make up a high demand of learning mandarin. An increasing number of university students from Sri Lanka are choosing Chinese to learn as their second language.

Despite a Confucius Institute being established in the country by Chongqing Normal University and a Confucius Class by China Radio International (CRI), the demand for Chinese classes still outweighs the supply.

"Honghe University will be responsible for teaching at the Confucius Institute and promoting it," said Zhang Xi, director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department at Honghe University. "The preparation work of the Confucius Institute is going well now," Zhang added.

Edited by Jacob Hoosona