A Chinese language speech contest for Pakistani college students was held here on Wednesday, with two students receiving the first prize respectively.

Twenty-one students from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of the National University of Modern Languages Islamabad (NUML) and Confucius Institute Islamabad rivaled in the speech competition, followed by a talent show with options from ribbon dance, singing, and group dance.

Citing the contribution made by the NUML, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong said that the university has promoted Chinese language, culture, and people-to-people exchanges between China and Pakistan.

He encouraged the students to learn eagerly, improve continuously, and develop excellent skills to contribute to Pakistan's development and building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future.

Shahid Mahmood Kayani, rector of the NUML and Pakistani dean of the Confucius Institute Islamabad, said that the university is willing to increase investment in Chinese language teaching, actively promote Pakistan-China friendship, and strive to pass on the ironclad friendship between the two countries.

Talking to Xinhua, Rida Fatima, one of the first prize winners and a sophomore at the NUML, said that learning Chinese will be a great help to her future career in Pakistan.

"Pakistan and China are good neighbors, and studying the Chinese language is a good way to enhance interaction and better relationships between the two peoples in the future," she added.