[File photo]

China plans to set up courses on more than 30 minority languages by 2020, a move to cover all the languages spoken in the countries which have established diplomatic relations with China, a language expert said on Dec 20.

Principal of the Beijing Foreign Studies University, Peng Long, said that China had established diplomatic relations with nearly 200 countries, and the country now provides 64 foreign language study programs at a symposium on the strategic development of non-common languages.

The newly-developed courses will include the languages spoken in Azerbaijan and Georgia as well as Byelorussian, Peng added.

The symposium was attended by university professors and officials from the Education Ministry.