Chinese: The Language of the Future now Taught in Saudi Schools

A large map of China hangs on the classroom wall as 14-year-old Yasser al-Shaalan learns the names of different professions from a Mandarin textbook. This scene reflects a significant shift in Saudi Arabia's education system, as public schools now include Mandarin in their curricula—another sign of the deepening ties between Riyadh and Beijing.

“Students in other schools master English. I know Arabic, English, and Chinese, which is a great advantage for my future,” says Yasser, dressed in a gray tunic and red headscarf, the uniform of his school.

Since August, the Gulf monarchy has introduced Mandarin education in six regions of the country. It is now taught as a second foreign language, following English, from the first year of middle school and will gradually expand to high school.

At a school in northern Riyadh, Yasser and his classmates attend three Mandarin classes per week, taught by their Chinese Muslim teacher, Shuaib Ma. “At first, it was difficult, but now it has become easy and enjoyable,” Yasser shares.

Mandarin, one of the world’s most widely spoken languages, has over a billion speakers. Unlike English, it is the native language for the vast majority of its users.

Saudi Arabia's push for Mandarin education stems from a 2019 visit to China by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who subsequently launched an initiative to integrate Mandarin into the national education system. Several Saudi universities have since established Chinese language programs, and in 2023, Riyadh’s Prince Sultan University inaugurated the country’s first Confucius Institute branch.

The growing influence of China as a global economic powerhouse has driven demand for Mandarin education worldwide. However, some nations, like Germany, have raised concerns over the political influence of Confucius Institutes, leading to their closure in the U.S., Sweden, and France.

Despite Mandarin’s complexity, teacher Shuaib Ma employs modern teaching methods to engage students, including digital boards, gestures, and interactive games. While the language is mandatory in Saudi schools, it does not yet contribute to students’ overall academic scores. “We start with listening, speaking, and reading before tackling writing,” he explains, acknowledging the difficulty of mastering Chinese characters.

Teaching five classes, Ma dedicates 15 hours weekly to Mandarin instruction. School director Sattam al-Otaibi highlights its strategic importance: “Mandarin is the language of the future for economic communication. The world relies on China for many industries.”

Saudi Arabia, historically aligned with the United States, is now broadening its alliances, strengthening ties with both China and Russia. As the world's leading crude oil exporter, the kingdom supplies nearly a quarter of its exports to China, its largest trading partner, with bilateral trade exceeding $100 billion in 2023.

China has also played a pivotal diplomatic role, mediating the 2023 reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran—two regional rivals. Analyst Omar Karim from the University of Birmingham underscores the importance of Saudi-Chinese relations, noting that China’s position as the kingdom’s top energy market makes it central to Saudi Arabia’s economic security.

In recent years, high-profile visits from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang have further cemented ties, with a 2023 Arab-Chinese economic summit yielding over $10 billion in investment agreements. To sustain this cooperation, hundreds of Chinese teachers have already arrived in Saudi Arabia, while the kingdom plans to send its own educators to China for Mandarin training.

According to Karim, teaching Mandarin to Saudi students aligns with China’s rise as a global economic and technological superpower. “To facilitate greater Chinese investment and collaboration, Saudi Arabia needs a workforce and citizens who speak the language,” he concludes.