Jordan seeks China tie-ups in education

Amman pivots eastward, eyes robust cooperation with Beijing in key sector

Pursuing a strategic pivot eastward, Jordan has placed education at the forefront of its engagement with China amid the evolving Middle Eastern landscape. Backed by a comprehensive higher education and vocational training system, the country has rolled out multiple programs to cultivate youth talent and cement long-term cooperation.

Yarmouk University, Jordan’s second-largest public university situated in Irbid, has unveiled plans to construct an on-campus complex called China Village. Focused on Chinese language education, the compound will serve as an integrated hub showcasing Chinese culture, state-of-the-art technologies and comprehensive academic resources.

Malek Alsharairi, president of the university, said that Yarmouk is striving to build Jordan’s most robust academic ties with China, supported by full China-related disciplinary coverage ranging from medical sciences and fine arts to engineering, architecture, drama and music for all enrolled students.

“We will launch Chinese language electives open to all students regardless of major, allowing learners from every faculty to access language training,” he said.

“The upcoming China Village will be a fully functional facility covering China’s technology, economic development, governance and cultural heritage to support interdisciplinary research. It boasts broader functions than Confucius Institutes and acts as a permanent local showcase for China’s innovations.”

Several months ago, Yarmouk sent a delegation to Shanghai Theatre Academy for exchanges, Alsharairi said.

He added that he had instructed the Fine Arts Faculty to incorporate Chinese opera and theatrical arts into its existing teaching modules, with the long-term objective of launching a stand-alone undergraduate concentration dedicated to Chinese theater.

Under his plan, each faculty within China Village will develop customized China-themed curricula anchored in the unified framework.

“Command of the Chinese language paired with a sound grasp of China’s industries and culture delivers substantial employment advantages for Jordanian graduates. As an ideal neutral regional hub, Jordan stands ready to attract Chinese enterprises seeking to participate in postwar reconstruction projects in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon,” Alsharairi said.

The university now hosts over 30 Chinese students majoring in Arabic. “Our annual tuition fees amount to approximately $2,000. Beyond the affordable price tag, a far greater advantage is that Jordan’s Arabic aligns with Modern Standard Arabic, granting us a competitive edge,” said a Chinese student from Gansu province.

Alsharairi added that a two-way student exchange sits high on the university’s development agenda. Yarmouk plans to enroll more

Chinese students, with the expectation that they will serve as bridges of communication between Jordan and China after graduation.

Guo Wei, Chinese ambassador to Jordan, said that educational cooperation is a core underpinning of the advancement of bilateral ties. He highlighted seven official Chinese language teaching hubs across Jordan, where the number of on-campus Chinese learners has surpassed 3,000, marking a nearly 40 percent surge from two years earlier.

Beyond cooperation in higher education, vocational training has emerged as a promising new frontier, as Jordan’s economy is overwhelmingly service-driven.

Rafat Mousa Al-Sawafin, director-general of Jordan’s national Vocational Training Corporation, or VTC, expressed high hopes for expanded cooperation with China. Established in 1976 as Jordan’s largest public vocational institution, VTC runs 35 training branches across the country, equipped with more than 300 workshops and 126 state-accredited training curricula.

Though VTC boasts abundant domestic training resources, Al-Sawafin admitted its cooperation with Chinese peers remains very limited. He expressed a strong willingness to deepen collaboration, and called for comprehensive support from China.

China will host the 48th WorldSkills Competition in September, marking the nation’s debut as host of the global event. Al-Sawafin said Jordan hopes to send representatives to Shanghai to participate if funding permits.

Zhao Xiaoqiang, cultural counselor of the Chinese embassy in Jordan, expects expanded vocational cooperation in market-driven sectors including commerce, tourism and mechanical engineering. He said that such collaboration will accelerate the shift from language-learning to a “Chinese plus vocational skills” integrated model.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn