CHINA / National
Seychelles leader discusses education ties
By Zhu Zhe (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-03 07:04
Seychelles President James Michel said the country would send more
students to China to further the cultural and educational co-operation
between the two countries.
He made the remark during a talk with seven Seychelles students in
Beijing yesterday morning, before an official meeting with President Hu
Jintao in the afternoon.
Michel asked about the students' lives, and encouraged them to value
their time in China.
"Seychelles and China are having good educational and cultural
co-operation," he said. "In the future, we will strengthen our friendship
and take the co-operation to all levels."
Michel said China has been welcoming Seychelles students for many years,
and a number of good students who studied in China are now making
contributions to the national economy. "We'll definitely send more
students to China in the future," he said.
China started granting scholarships to Seychellois students in 1984,
according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Last year, eight
students from the Seychelles studied in China and the number has climbed
to 18 this year.
Neal Servina, a Seychellois student from Beijing Language and Culture
University who came to China in August, said he was very happy to see the
president.
"It's a privilege. I never expected a chance to meet the president," he
said. "I thought I might be scared, but we had a very comfortable talk
because the president is very nice and kind."
"Seychelles is beautiful, but China is beautiful for its history, culture
and architecture," Servina told China Daily. "Many Seychellois people
also view China as a country with advanced technology."
Chantal Lailam, a Seychellois who has spent five years in Beijing and is
now a student at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, said she hopes
that Chinese troditional medicine could be a friendship bridge between
the two countries.
She said Chinese traditional medicine has gained growing recognition
worldwide, but very few people in the Seychelles know how to practise it.
The president also recalled the history of Chinese people in the
Seychelles. He said many years ago when his country was in its early
stage of development, many Chinese came as traders.
"Chinese are not strangers to the Seychelles," he said. "We even have a
Chinese pagoda."
Figures from the Chinese Embassy in the Seychelles show that about 600
out of the country's 80,000 citizens are Chinese or Chinese descendants,
and there has also been a small increase in the number of Chinese
travellers to the country in recent years.
1 2
Top China News
� Former president of China beverage giant goes on trial
� US$5.845 bln contracts inked at China-ASEAN Expo
� Japanese veteran recalls crimes of war
� Shenzhou VII astronauts to walk in space
� Regulations combat money laundering
Today's Top News
� Aid, trade package set to be announced
� China hopes N.Korea talks to start soon
� China astronauts to walk in outer space
� Road maintenance fee sets debate rolling
� China to unveil a package of major aids to Africa
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Learn Chinese, Chinese School
No comments:
Post a Comment