A 20-year-old Tanzanian female university student emerged as the champion of the 24th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students held on Friday at the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam.

Kuluthum Athman Maftah, a first-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education at the University of Dar es Salaam, triumphed over 11 other university students in a hotly contested competition sponsored by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, with support from the China Communications Construction Company Tanzania Branch.

"I am very happy to be the champion of this competition," said Maftah. "I encourage my fellow students to learn Chinese so that they can become champions too."

Maftah, who will travel to China later for the finals of the global competition, said she looks forward to learning more about Chinese culture and making friends with Chinese people.

Zhang Xiaozhen, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam, said the competition, jointly organized by the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam and the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, attracted 12 students, among whom five from the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam and its centers, five from the Confucius Institute at the University of Dodoma and two from the Confucius Classroom at the State University of Zanzibar.

Zhang said this competition aimed to provide a platform for participants from different regions to demonstrate their Chinese language skills, build a network among learners and encourage greater effort in learning the Chinese language and culture.