Third Asia International Water Week opens in Beijing

The third Asia International Water Week (AIWW) opened in Beijing on Tuesday, bringing together participants from around the world to share insights on global water security amid current environmental challenges.

Officials and experts on water-related issues from 70 countries and regions have gathered for the five-day event to explore new strategies and solutions for water security challenges.

Global water security is threatened by the dual impact of climate change and human activities, putting people's wellbeing and prosperity at risk.

In a speech at the event, Li Guoying, China's minister for water resources, shared China's water management experiences in areas such as flood control and smart irrigation, and expressed the nation's commitment to deepen cooperation with the international community on water security issues.

"We are willing to work together with all countries and international organizations, under the guidance of the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, to jointly promote future water security. Together, we will make efforts in achieving water-related targets of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda," said Li in his keynote speech at the AIWW's opening ceremony.

China provides water for nearly one-fifth of the global population and generates over 18 percent of the world's total economic output with only six percent of the planet's freshwater resources.

China is also a flood-prone nation and this year was able to store or divert over 140 billion cubic meters of floodwater nationwide to protect people's lives and property.

"We are very, very interested by the Chinese experience concerning water security at a global level and river security also. And we need the experience of Chinese colleagues, Chinese experts to provide this expertise in the world, which needs a lot of innovation, governance, and financing solutions for water," said Loic Fauchon, president of the World Water Council.

A joint statement, the 'Beijing Declaration', was released at the opening ceremony calling for concerted efforts to address water issues arising from climate change, rapid urbanization, and population growth through innovation, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing.

In addition to Asian countries and regions, delegations from Europe and Saudi Arabia are also attending this year's AIWW. Participants are expected to strengthen water-related cooperation and exchanges across various sectors with China throughout the week.

Third Asia International Water Week opens in Beijing

As China's expanding influence in Africa drives growing interest in its culture and language, Tanzania--whose largest trading partner is China--has begun introducing Chinese language courses as early as the primary school level.

In Tanzanian schools, the sight of students learning Chinese is becoming increasingly common. The Confucius Institute, which provides a range of Chinese language programs and scholarships, reports that interest in learning Mandarin among Tanzanians is rising.

According to the Chinese Embassy in Dar es Salaam, approximately 20,000 students are currently enrolled in Chinese language courses across various institutions in Tanzania, with the majority attending higher education institutions.

However, last year, the government introduced Mandarin as a subject at lower levels of education -- a move that has been met with great enthusiasm by many.

"Our school obviously is the first school to concentrate much on Chinese lessons, and most of the parents, they are appreciating [this approach], and they use it to admit their pupils [children] in our school. We started [offering Chinese lessons] for a short period of time, but we have a large number of pupils [students]," said Jane Shao, headmistress of Longquan Bodhi Primary School.

Zhang Xiaozhen, director of Chinese Studies at the Confucius Institute in Dar es Salaam, emphasized the importance of language learning in fostering understanding and strengthening ties between cultures.

"Language is a tool to help each other to understand each other. So, we hope that primary school students, by learning Chinese, that they can understand Chinese. And also, we Chinese people, we also need to learn Swahili so that we can understand each other and strengthen the relationship between our two countries," said Zhang.

The next step in this significant financial initiative could involve establishing primary and secondary schools where all subjects are taught in Chinese, with the aim of equipping young Tanzanians with new skills, access to technology, and business opportunities, thereby fostering stronger relations between the two countries for years to come.

Tanzania introduces Chinese language in primary schools amid growing ties with China