There have been a few firsts for the Chinese language in international circles recently. The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) unveiled the Chinese version of their website, whilst the UAE have welcomed their first Chinese-language magazine aimed at the tourism industry. As for Russia, it was Chinese modern poetry that was on the agenda.

VNA is an English-language daily that has grown from a four-page publication in 1991 to a 32-page print edition and multilingual website. Since September 2010, it is now available in Chinese, alongside its English, French and Spanish counterparts. Providing both national and international news, it attracts around 20 million hits per week and it is hoped that the new website will ‘serve as a bridge towards closer cooperation and cultural exchange between the two nations’, stated the Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam at a recent press conference.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) were also proud to announce a new Chinese-language resource called Aviamost-Chinese: the first Chinese-language magazine for the tourist industry. Printed in simplified Chinese and aimed at Chinese tourists and business travellers, it will enjoy an initial distribution of 20,000 units and it is hoped that it will become as popular as the Aviamost-Russia edition that is still going strong since its first publication fifteen years ago.

Meanwhile in Russia, there was the news that the ‘Russian language version of a Chinese modern poetry collection’ had been launched in Moscow in October 2010 (Xinhuanews). It was reported that this volume of poetry contains some 60 poems written over the last 100 years and it is a work that plays a significant role in the activities for the 2010 Chinese Language Year in Russia.

Sources: www.ameinfo.com; www.news.xinhuanet.com