Beijing Commercial Press has published the first volumes of a set of materials in three languages for teaching the Chinese language to foreigners, which is being compiled by the Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI), the institute says.

The manual for teachers, together with the textbook and exercise book for students, are for teaching an elementary course in Chinese for foreigners; are the first such materials developed in Macao and are the first printed in Chinese, Portuguese and English, according to a written statement issued by the MPI last Thursday.

The institute says the materials will improve the teaching the growing number of students that come to Macao from Portuguese-speaking parts of the world to learn Chinese.

Publication of the first volumes brings the MPI School of Languages and Translation a step nearer its goal of producing a complete set of materials for teaching learners of Chinese from lusophone countries, the institute says.