North African Sinologists open new page

He says, a greater number of Arab readers these days expect to learn more about Chinese history, culture and society through literary works, and a growing number of young translators have joined the undertaking of transposing Chinese literature into Arabic.

Khalid Hammes, Moroccan Sinologist and an economics professor at the Mohammed V University in Rabat, compares the Confucian ideal "the doctrine of the mean" that is embedded in the Chinese culture and that has similar reflections in the Moroccan culture.

Despite the differences in cultural backgrounds and historical development, he says, the two countries both uphold the principles like balance, coordination, as well as respect for each other's sovereignty and independence, when dealing with international relations and regional affairs.

This approach not only embodies the essence of the doctrine, but also demonstrates the wisdom of both countries in tackling complex international relations, he adds.

According to Tunisian Sinologist Samah Mohamed Korashy Abdelkader, for the past two years, seminars on Chinese language education in North Africa have been held by the Confucius Institute of the University of Carthage in Tunis, the capital city, and the university's higher institute of languages, in order to deepen knowledge in the field.

She adds that Chinese books on various topics have been introduced to the region via the effort of platforms such as the Oriental Knowledge Publishing Company, which have become an important window through which the Arab world can learn about China.