Learners of the Chinese language in Uganda showcased their skills during the 2025 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition, held in the central Ugandan district of Luwero on Saturday.

KAMPALA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Learners of the Chinese language in Uganda showcased their skills during the 2025 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition, held in the central Ugandan district of Luwero on Saturday.

Secondary and college students demonstrated their command of the Chinese language and knowledge of Chinese culture through speeches, quizzes, and cultural performances.

At the end of the five-hour event, held under the theme "One World, One Family," Derick Agaba was declared the winner in the secondary school category, while Moses Luwero took the top spot in the college category.

Luwero, a second-year student at the Confucius Institute of Makerere University, said he joined the competition with the goal of winning and representing Uganda in China at the international level. He has studied Chinese as his major for the past one and a half years.

"Such competitions are good because they help us as students engage with others and also allow us to assess the skills we have acquired or learned," he said.

Speaking at the event hosted at Ndejje Secondary School, Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong praised the locally renowned school for hosting the competition.

"Language is a tool to express yourself to the outside world, a tool to understand a different culture, to understand each other. I appreciate that you have chosen this tool for your future career. I hope you will be ambassadors for China-Uganda friendship," Zhang said.

The ambassador noted that China is working closely with the Ugandan government in various sectors to accelerate development. He said bilateral trade between the two countries has increased significantly, reaching 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2024.

Hilda Ayebare, assistant curriculum specialist for foreign languages at the Uganda National Curriculum Development Center, said Uganda will continue to support Chinese language education at both secondary and advanced levels.

"The center has encouraged more schools across the country to start offering Chinese language courses because it provides wide opportunities for students," Ayebare said.  ■