On October 21, 2022, H.E. Wei Hongtian, Ambassador of China to Grenada attended the 2022 Online Scholarship Award Ceremony held by the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture. The following is the speech delivered by Ambassador Wei Hongtian at the ceremony:
Hon. David Andrew, Minister for Education, Youth, Sports and Culture
Hon. Ron Redhead, Minister with responsibility for Youth, Sports and Culture
Mr. Elvis Morain, Permanent Secretary for Education
Officials from Relevant Departments of the Grenadian Government
Representatives From SGU, Commonwealth (UK), UWI, OAS
All Awardees
Friends from Media
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning,
I am delighted to join you toady to participate in this online Scholarship Awards Ceremony after just coming back to Grenada from my vacation in China. As usual, the Government of the People’s Republic of China offers 15 full scholarships to Grenadian students this year. I would like to announce that 6 qualified students have been granted the scholarships and will go to various universities in China for furthering their studies. On behalf of the Chinese side, I take this opportunity to extend warm congratulations to all the awardees and wish them a joyful life and a great success in pursuit of higher education in China.
Hon. Ministers, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is unfortunate that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many unprecedented negative impacts on every sector around the world including the implementation of scholarship programs since 2020. Many scholarship-awarded students could only study online and faced a lot of concrete difficulties and challenges due to the pandemic. China makes great efforts and sacrifice in the fight against COVID-19 with a consistent and strong dynamic-zero approach, balances well the pandemic prevention and impacts on economic development and social activities, and achieves remarkable victory. China is one of the countries in the world that are most successful in the control of the pandemic, the dramatic reduction of the deaths, and the quick recovery of the economy. As the pandemic is put under control, the situation has largely been stabilized and is turning for the better, China has gradually adjusted its COVID protocols and entry policy. I am particularly happy that starting from this month, China will be open to all international students to resume face-to-face study. I just came back from China, and what I saw and found in China is that, China is safe, China’s economy has rebounded and is resilient, business activities and people’s daily life are almost back to normal, every international student is being taken good care. These changes and achievements are very encouraging and promising. In this regard, I would like to congratulate all the awarded students of Chinese scholarships in the past two years and this year, and I encourage you to be ready to fly to your universities and discover the wonderful and splendid China. I am also sure that by furthering your study, getting better education and holding a university degree, you will be open for better career opportunities, open up new doors for yourself and make your dreams come true. So, cherish the opportunity, stay safe, be diligent and study hard, and realize your noble goal.
Hon. Ministers, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen,
China's social-economic development witnessed historic achievements in the past decade, drawing interest from across the globe. China's GDP has come to account for 18.5 percent of the world economy, up 7.2 percentage points over the past 10 years. As the world's second largest economy, China has become a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions, leading the world in total volume of trade in goods. China has also joined the ranks of the world's innovators with breakthroughs in some core technologies in key fields. With its people-centered philosophy of development, the country has built the largest education, social security, and healthcare systems in the world. While acknowledging the great achievements, China needs to do more in every sector including education for high quality development and the realization of its modernization. The ongoing 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which was opened on Oct.16, will plan out the strategic goals, tasks and major policies for the CPC and China's future development. We all know that education is the foundation of national development in the long run. Investment in education means a lot since it is of utmost importance in any nation and society. That’s why Nelson Mandela said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” In his report to the above-mentioned Congress, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of China H.E. Xi Jinping pointed out:
-Education is of critical importance to the future of our country and our Party.
-Education, science and technology, and human resources are the foundational and strategic pillars for building a modern socialist country in all respects.
-We will speed up work to build a strong educational system，We will continue to give high priority to the development of education, build China's self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and rely on talent to pioneer and to propel development. We will promote collaborative innovation in vocational education, higher education, and continuing education and promote integration between vocational education and general education, between industry and education, and between science and education.
Hon. Ministers, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Education and human resources development constitute important components of the practical cooperation between China and Grenada, which has achieved fruitful results over the past 17 years since the two countries restored diplomatic ties in 2005. Looking forward, China is ready to further deepen cooperation and exchange with Grenada in the education sector. The Chinese government has also launched a slew of policies to improve the quality of foreign students studying in China. Today, I would like to take this occasion to confirm that the Chinese Government Scholarship Program will continue to offer 15 full scholarships to Grenadian students in 2023 and it is open for application from now. In fact, actual offers of scholarships to Grenadian students by the Government of China are more than this announced figures. Interested applicants can contact both the Ministry of Education of Grenada and the Embassy of China for detailed information. It is my sincere hope that at least these 15 full scholarships will be fully occupied and more Grenadian students will be qualified for furthering their studies in China in 2023. I also hope that the offline short-term training courses will be resumed soon in China as well. I would also like to kindly remind you that, though the pandemic is not over, we still need to take preventive measures, but you do not need to be afraid of the COVID in China.
Hon. Ministers, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Please Allow me conclude by extending my sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other relevant government agencies and departments of Grenada, and all officials in charge for their long-term support, coordination and assistance in the selection of qualified candidates for Chinese Government scholarships. Again, I wish all the fellow students from Grenada enjoy successful study, have happy and harmonious lives in China, and all become envoys of friendship, bonds of mutual understanding and bridges of friendly cooperation between China and Grenada.
Thank you.