China and Canada have jointly published, for the first time, a Chinese language textbook, sources from the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOTCFL) say.

Three top Canadian universities, namely, the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and McGill University will adopt the textbook for their new semester in September. The University of Montreal and the University of Quebec in French-speaking areas will also use the textbook in its French version.

Canadian officials say in their letters to NOTCFL that the textbook opens a new path for exchanges between Canada and China, and has created long-term and mutually beneficial opportunities for both sides to cooperate in the fields of cultural, educational and economic sectors.

According to the NOTCFL, Canadian teaching staff specializing in Chinese have also warmly welcomed the book and congratulated its publishers, saying it is easy to understand and practical providing the North American region with a new way of learning Chinese and of teaching it.

Officials with NOTCFL say the book not only promotes the learning of Chinese worldwide, but also increases cooperation between China and other countries in the field.

So far, European, North American and Latin-American regions like Britain and Spain have started cooperating with the NOTCFL in order to produce Chinese-language textbooks appropriate to the particular needs of their country.

Experts say with China's developing economy and its rise in international status, especially its entry into the World Trade Organization, the Chinese language is attracting more attention from foreign governments as well as from people from all walks of life. The number of people learning Chinese has grown rapidly.

(China Daily June 13, 2002)