The Chinese Ministry of Education has given permission for Hunan Normal University to offer a programme that teaches its undergraduates Portuguese, the Xiaoxiang Morning News reports.

The programme is among 55 new programmes, including several in artificial intelligence, that universities in the southern Chinese province of Hunan have been given permission to teach, the Chinese newspaper says, citing a written statement issued by the ministry last week.

Separately, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in southern China announced that the ministry has classed its Portuguese language programme as a first-class programme.

A similar award was given by the central Chinese province of Shaanxi to the Portuguese language programme at Xi’an International Studies University in central China.

In November the Portuguese news agency, Lusa, quoted Macao Polytechnic Institute Portuguese Language Pedagogical and Scientific Center Coordinator Gaspar Zhang Yunfeng as saying interest in learning Portuguese had grown exponentially in mainland China in the preceding decade, and that almost 50 institutions of higher education there taught it.