(260523) -- COTONOU, May 23, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Students from the Confucius Institute of the University of Abomey-Calavi perform during the Beninese final of the 25th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition in Cotonou, Benin, on May 22, 2026. Appoline Akoutan, a third-year undergraduate student at the Confucius Institute of the University of Abomey-Calavi, won first prize on Friday evening in the Beninese final of the 25th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cotonou, the country's economic capital. (Photo by Seraphin Zounyekpe/Xinhua)