Vice-Premier Liu Yandong visited the Confucius Institute at Sao Paulo State University on Wednesday, asking students there to carry forward the traditional friendship between the people and to help promote Sino-Brazilian ties.

China and Brazil, the largest developing nations, are important partners in cooperation, Liu said.

"Not long ago, President Xi, Premier Li and I received a letter signed by Mr. Luis Antonio Paulino, dean of the Confucius Institute, and some 30 students from the school. ... We are really moved by their enthusiasm for the Chinese language and their aspiration to learn more about China," said Liu.

There has been increasing interest in Brazil for learning Mandarin, and the country now hosts the largest number of Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, Liu said.

There are about 20,000 students registered at the 10 Confucius Institutes and the four middle school Confucius Classrooms in Brazil, and many primary and middle schools have incorporated Mandarin into their school curriculum, she added.

Liu said that the Confucius Institutes in Brazil should integrate resources and explore the potential to promote communication between the two countries.