During the final round of the teen Chinese Bridge competition held in Kunming on Oct 30, Chen Jie, vice-minister of education, said that the contest is not only a means to promote exchanges between Chinese and foreign youth, but also serves as a bridge for the cultivation of friendship and understanding between China and the world.

He said he is looking forward to enhancing the world's understanding of China and helping the nation better connect with the world through language exchange projects.

The Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition is also open to college students. Since 2002, about 1.5 million students from about 160 countries have participated in overseas preliminary contests, and about 7,000 have been invited to China to take part in the final rounds. It has become the world's most influential Chinese proficiency contest.