ELEVEN Jamaicans have received full scholarships to begin academic programmes in the Peoples’ Republic of China next month, and September 2019, in several disciplines at nine universities.

The recipients will pursue studies in: Marine geology, Chinese philology, financial management, logistics engineering, clinical medicine, administration management, medicine and surgery, logistics and management, and protected agricultural science and engineering between September 2018 and July 2024.

At a congratulatory ceremony held at the Chinese Embassy in St Andrew last Friday, Deputy Chief of Mission Yang Wenxu urged the awardees to make full use of the opportunity.

“Travelling to China to study is a very good chance to increase your intelligence… I hope that by pursuing an academic career and advancement in China, you can take a look at what the real China is and experience what the real Chinese life is, so that when you come back to Jamaica, you can also tell your families, your friends, your colleagues what Chinese life is like and what they can do to promote cooperation between Jamaica and China,” he said.

Since 2005, China has offered Jamaicans more than 2,000 opportunities for shortterm training courses, or exchange programmes, and scholarships.

Yang explained that each year the Chinese Government offers dozens of scholarships to Jamaican students to pursue studies, as well as short-term training courses and workshops to hundreds of other Jamaicans from all walks of life, to exchange ideas, learn, and discuss issues of national interest.

The deputy chief of mission also outlined the Chinese’s involvement in a number of major development projects in Jamaica, such as the construction of a new location for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and the building of early childhood institutions, the construction of the north-south link of Highway 2000, as well as the upcoming construction of a paediatric hospital in western Jamaica.

He also pointed to exchanges in a range of sporting disciplines, such as synchronised swimming, basketball, football, and badminton.

He further highlighted that Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company (JISCO), which acquired the Alpart bauxite plant in September 2017, is doing very well in Jamaica and is a good example of how Chinese investment can help in a “win-win” cooperation between the two countries.

He said that the Chinese outfit has provided hundreds of new jobs for Jamaican workers, and has organised courses for some 60 Jamaican engineers to study in China in order to improve their expertise to the benefit of Jamaica upon their return.

“I think they are undertaking a very valuable investment,” he added.

Yang said that China, too, has received generous offers from the Jamaican people such as in the area of track and field and scholarships from the Caribbean Maritime University.

“So this is a reciprocal process…we are proud of this, and we are very happy to continue this process.

The purpose of this is to help each other, because we believe the world should be a community with a shared future for mankind so that everybody enjoys prosperity [and] every country is prosperous, safe and has opportunities for sustained development,” Yang said.

He said that his Government is pleased to have the Jamaican Government’s support of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as “the Caribbean is a natural extension of the 21st century Maritime Silk Road, and Jamaica is one of the most important countries in the Caribbean”.

The BRI is a development strategy being promoted by the Chinese Government which focuses on connectivity and cooperation.

Additionally, Yang highlighted Jamaica’s Vision 2030 development strategy as a very ambitious one, noting that China is seeking to synchronise its own development strategy with this national development strategy.

“We are willing and ready to help and to play our part in bringing this Vision 2030 to reality. We are always ready to join hands with the Jamaican people to attain common development,” he stated.

Speaking on behalf of the recipients, administration management scholar Kemar Brown said they were grateful.

“We are eternally grateful for this opportunity.

Jamaica and China have endured 47 years of diplomatic relationships, so we have long and enduring friendships through culture, through sports and through education. We are thankful we are going to China and we are going to do our very best… we are going to come back and we are going to help to develop this country,” he said.