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China will hold the first Chinese Language Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in 21 countries worldwide, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and Egypt.

As the inaugural competition for foreign students learning Chinese, the "Chinese Bridge" aims to promote Chinese culture and strengthen exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries.

The competition, sponsored by the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOCFL), will hold preliminary rounds, semi-finals and finals. The preliminary rounds will be jointly held by the educational or cultural sections of Chinese embassies in the countries, foreign universities and Chinese teachers working abroad.

The competition will test foreign students on their Chinese language ability, knowledge of China's current situation, and cultural skills. An official website has been launched at www.hanban.edu.cn.

Foreigners eligible for the competition include on-campus students, those under the age of 30, and children of overseas Chinese who were born in foreign countries and whose first language is not Chinese.

Winners of the preliminaries will be invited to Beijing to attend the semi-final and final rounds from August 10 to 18. Prize-winners will receive the honorary title of "Chinese cultural envoy", and scholarships to study in China.

With China's developing economy and rise in international status after its entry into the World Trade Organization, the Chinese language has attracted more attention from foreign governments as well as people from all walks of life. The number of Chinese-language students has grown rapidly, with many countries experiencing a craze for learning Chinese.

Experts predict that the inaugural competition will encourage foreign students to learn the Chinese language, and take Chinese culture to a wider audience.