RIYADH, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Taim Mohamed Ekrema, a 12-year-old student at Al Waleed bin Ubadah Middle School in Saudi Arabia, could barely hide his excitement. After years of studying Chinese online, he was finally attending his first in-person Chinese class.

Ekrema is part of a growing wave of Saudi students embracing Chinese language education, a trend that reflects the deepening ties between Saudi Arabia and