BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping has recently replied to letters from student representatives of the "Hundred Schools Project" of Chinese language education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), encouraging them to master the language and know China, and contribute to promoting friendship between the two countries.

"I have read each letter from you," Xi said in his reply, "from the lines and drawings, I felt all your love for Chinese culture and your expectation for friendship between the two countries."

Xi recalled that five years ago, he and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan jointly launched the "Hundred Schools Project" of Chinese language education in the UAE.

"Now seeing that learning Chinese has become a new trend in the UAE, and a group of little ambassadors for China-UAE exchanges, like you, have been cultivated, I'm very pleased," Xi said.

"In your letters, you say China and the UAE have 'held hands' for 40 years, and hope that our two countries will always be good friends," Xi noted, "the Chinese people also share the same wish."

Noting that the youth represents the future of the China-UAE friendship, Xi welcomed the students to visit China to see the pandas and climb the Great Wall, and study at Chinese universities when they grow up.

The Chinese president also welcomed more UAE teenagers to learn Chinese and know more about China, hoping that they and their Chinese counterparts can exchange with and learn from each other, planting the seeds of friendship in their hearts, and contributing to a better future for China-UAE relations.

In July 2019, witnessed by Xi and Sheikh Mohamed, then crown prince of Abu Dhabi of the UAE, the two countries signed a memorandum in Beijing, officially launching the "Hundred Schools Project" of Chinese language education in the UAE.

Up to now, there are 171 schools in the UAE offering Chinese language courses, with 71,000 students learning Chinese.

Recently, 40 elementary and middle school student representatives from two demonstration schools of the "Hundred Schools Project," the Hamdan Bin Zayed School and the Yas School in the UAE, wrote letters respectively to Xi in Chinese, expressing their longing and love for Chinese culture and their aspirations to be ambassadors of the China-UAE friendship.