Ninety-five Chinese middle school teachers have been recruited to act as "Chinese-language assistants" to teach Chinese in British secondary schools for one year.

Students from Britain study Chinese in the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing.

The "Chinese Language Assistance" program, jointly launched by China and Britain in 2001, has drawn an increasing number of participants each year.

The program aims to promote understanding and communication between the peoples of the two countries through language exchanges, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Fu Ying said at a reception for the Chinese teachers on Wednesday.

Fu said the Chinese teachers, while teaching Chinese philosophies, history and culture, could also learn advanced teaching skills from their British counterparts during the one-year term.

The shortage of qualified Chinese-language teachers is major factor hindering Chinese language learning in Britain.

Britain has always attached great importance to Chinese language training, in which British youngsters could deepen their understanding of the Chinese culture, history and language, said Olga Stanojlovic, Director of Schools in Education at the British Council.

Currently, there are 11 Confucius Institutes and 13 Confucius Classrooms in Britain.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2008)