ADDRESSING CHALLENGES IN TEACHING CHINESE FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES IN PAKISTAN: CAPACITY-BUILDING STRATEGIES UNDER THE CPEC INITIATIVE

Abstract

As cooperation between China and Pakistan continues to grow under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the need for Chinese language teaching that serves specific professional sectors—such as trade, engineering, agriculture, and tourism—is becoming increasingly important. In Pakistan, however, most Chinese language teachers come from general language teaching backgrounds and often lack the vocational expertise, interdisciplinary training, and digital skills required for teaching Chinese for Specific Purposes (CSP). This paper explores the major challenges confronting Chinese for Specific Purposes  teacher development in the Pakistani context, including the shortage of full-time Chinese for Specific Purposes  instructors, limited professional knowledge among existing teachers, fragmented instructional approaches, and insufficient digital literacy. To address these gaps, the study proposes practical strategies for building a skilled Chinese for Specific Purposes  teaching workforce. These include reforming training programs to create a more structured development pathway, introducing interdisciplinary “1+X” qualification models, and strengthening collaboration between universities and industries. This paper offers practical recommendations for education stakeholders working to strengthen Chinese language instruction in Pakistan under the CPEC framework.