Of its 23 linguistic departments, the Chinese Department is the second largest, after the English Department. Meanwhile, the university also has 11 non-language related departments such as mass communications, management sciences and international relations. It has more than 8,000 students, including over 700 foreigners. Chinese students are the largest in number among foreign students, totaling 110, proud in the knowledge that their department was the first to be opened after the university was established in 1970.

The university, which initially only admitted students recommended through the army, has, with increasing social demands, gradually opened to the civilian population.

Gao Kai, Dean of the Chinese Department, selected for his post by the Chinese Education Ministry, said the Chinese language is an important part of the university's courses.

On its teaching staff, the department currently has five teachers from China and six from Pakistan.

NUML has also launched cooperative programs with many Chinese universities such as Peking University, Ningxia University, Wuhan University and Beijing Language and Culture University.

According to Han Luyang, a first year Chinese student in the Mass Communication Department, many Pakistani students are interested in learning Chinese. "I can also practice English here besides my major, mass communications. That is why I choose to study at NUML," she added.

President Khan is very ambitious about the future development of the university. "We will take concrete measures in China to attract more Chinese students," he told Beijing Review.

According to him, NUML is planning to establish two campuses in Shanghai and Beijing respectively, teaching English and Urdu with much lower tuition fees than other foreign campuses. He also plans to take full advantage of the Confucius Institute and launch new programs to make the university known to more Chinese students.

NGOs important

Accepting that Sino-Pakistani friendship is characterized by being extremely strong at the political and governmental level, but relatively weak at the cultural and people-to-people level, Wang said NGO exchanges between the two countries may also help to change this phenomenon.

"This is exactly where NGOs have a special and fundamental role to play," he stressed.

As an NGO, China Association for International Friendly Contact has been collaborating in a very fruitful manner with the Institute of Regional Studies of Pakistan since 1997. Over the past 10 years, the two non-governmental institutions have been exchanging delegations, publications and visiting scholars, jointly holding series of seminars, conducting joint research and facilitating people-to-people contact.

"In order to lift the level of bilateral relations between the two countries, NGOs must shoulder their responsibility," Wang pointed out.

Besides talking about further cooperation and discussing regional issues of common concern, the main task for NGO collaboration is to bring enterprises in both countries into contact with each other.

In April 2004, bridged by China Association for International Friendly Contact, Beijing Horizon Cultural Communication Co. successfully arranged a weekly exhibition of Chinese education and culture in Pakistan, mainly to promote mutual exchanges in education, language and medical sciences. Meanwhile, it also supplied a shortcut for Pakistani students to study in China.

Official statistics also proved the success of the event. Before the exhibition, fewer than 40 Pakistani students came to China to study through official channels every year. However, in 2005, the number increased by more than 1,000.

"NGOs supply a lot of useful information and resources for us. They provide us with an excellent platform in other countries," Zhang Wei, General Manager of Beijing Horizon Culture Communication Co., told Beijing Review.