ISTANBUL, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The "Chinese Bridge" competition, a contest for college students on their mastery of the Chinese language, was held Wednesday online in Turkey amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

A dozen students from several Turkish universities across the country attended the final stage of the 20th edition of the competition, hosted by the Istanbul Okan University Confucius Institute.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Turkey Liu Shaobin said the strategic cooperation between China and Turkey has developed rapidly in recent years, and positive results have been achieved in various fields.

"The collaboration of the two countries on education constitutes an important part of their relations," he noted.

According to the ambassador, Turkish students devoted to the Turkish-Chinese friendship with an understanding of China would contribute to the expansion of these close ties even further.

Shi Ruilin, the cultural counselor with the Chinese Embassy, said education was the most affected area by the pandemic across the globe, but teachers and students managed to go on with online courses against all odds.

Bartu Uzun, a participant from Istanbul's Yeditepe University, told Xinhua that he plans to further improve his Chinese in the future. "I enjoy studying Chinese, and I love the Chinese language and culture," Uzun said.

The top two winners of the competition will be qualified to join the finals in China.

Learning the Chinese language is increasingly popular in Turkey, with many attending the Confucius Institutes in Turkish universities and other Chinese language teaching programs. Enditem