Chinese in the Kuwaiti linguistic market: language policy and political economy

As China is building closer economic and geopolitical relations with oil-rich Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council countries, enthusiasm for learning and teaching Chinese is surging in the region. In Kuwait, whereas Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) education is emerging, research into this topical domain remains scarce, particularly on issues such as (1) how, beside English and Arabic, Chinese is construed as a means of employability and socio-economic mobility, and (2) what competencies and skills are thought to be essential. The present study adopted an exploratory qualitative design, collecting and analyzing document data from mainstream Kuwaiti media and narrative data through oral interviews and written surveys from 19 administrators in the foreign language centre at a Kuwaiti university. Results demonstrated that the rise of CFL education is strongly influenced by the bilateral economic cooperation between China and Kuwait. According to the participants, Kuwaiti learners invest in learning Chinese mainly based on their hopes to obtain economic benefit in the domestic job market. Administrators also exhibited limited knowledge of CFL education policies. These results provide insights for education policymakers, language instructors, and other stakeholders involved in CFL education in Kuwait. Implications and future research directions are also discussed.