On 5 June 2026, the regional final of the 25th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for UK College Students, along with the 25th anniversary of the "Chinese Bridge" program, were held in London. Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang delivered a video address to the event, and Minister Zhao Fei attended the event and made remarks. Over 200 people were present, including representatives from the British Council, Universities UK, directors and teachers from various Confucius Institutes in the UK, as well as teachers and students from UK universities, and secondary and primary schools.  

In his address, Ambassador Zheng Zeguang extended congratulations on the 25th anniversary of the "Chinese Bridge" program and expressed respect to all Chinese and international friends who have long been dedicated to promoting Chinese language education overseas over the years. He noted that President Xi Jinping has pointed out that language is a tool for exchanging ideas, a vehicle for carrying forward civilisation, and a bridge for enhancing mutual understanding. Although China and the UK differ in history, culture and social systems, the people of both countries have always shown great interest in learning each other’s languages and understanding each other’s cultures. This has provided sustained momentum for exchanges and cooperation between China and the UK across various fields and for advancing the long-term development of bilateral relations. 

Ambassador Zheng pointed out that the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competitions are deeply loved by British students and continue to ignite enthusiasm across British society for learning Chinese and understanding China. Chinese language has now been incorporated into the UK’s national curriculum. 100,000 British secondary and primary  school students study Chinese every week. The Mandarin Excellence Programme supported by both the Chinese and British governments continues to be implemented, having already supported more than 15,000 young people in learning Chinese. An increasing number of British teenagers are using the Chinese language as a bridge to embark on journeys of exploring Chinese culture, and have become a vital force in promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and British peoples. He noted that the "Chinese Bridge" program has become a signature brand of people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries and the "Olympics" of global Chinese language learning and wishes the competition continued success in the future.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the "Chinese Bridge" program. The UK regional competition has been held for 25 consecutive years, making it one of the earliest participant in the program, and one of the largest, and best-organised among the regional competitions. This year's UK regional final saw nearly 100 contestants from 14 universities take part in the preliminary rounds, of whom 11 students entered the final. After fierce competition, Mariam Areigib from the University of Nottingham won the championship.