Introducing Chinese in Saudi education: national goals, public perceptions and geopolitical dynamics
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article examines the recent introduction of Chinese as a foreign language in Saudi Arabia. Drawing on the political economy of languages as an overarching framework, the study engages with the concepts of soft power, cultural diplomacy, and linguistic imperialism to analyze how Chinese was promoted and received in a context where Arabic remains the national language and English functions as the dominant neoliberal foreign language. In the absence of research on this policy, the article draws on media-reported perspectives of Saudi policymakers and higher education institutions, alongside Saudi citizens’ responses to the policy expressed on Twitter.Footnote1 The analysis shows that the introduction of Chinese is primarily shaped by economic rationales and Saudi Arabia’s strategic repositioning within changing geopolitical and global economic conditions. Saudi perceptions of Chinese were mixed, with more responses resisting the policy. While both soft power and cultural diplomacy have relevance, the political economy of languages provides a more productive lens for understanding the motivations behind and public responses to Saudia introduction of Chinese. Linguistic imperialism may not apply to Chinese in the Saudi context which serves as an important reference in the article.
Source: Language Culture and Curriculum
Institutions: King Saud University, The University of Queensland
Language: English
Subfield: Linguistics and Language
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7155179973