Ambassador Qi Zhenhong on Wednesday pledged that China will fully consider the development needs of the new Government in Sri Lanka.
“In the new year, the Chinese Government will fully consider the development needs of the new Sri Lankan Government, improve the pertinence and effectiveness of training programs,” Ambassador Qi said at the 2024 China Aid Training Alumni Reception held in Colombo.
The event, the first China Aid Training Alumni Reception, celebrated the fruitful results of China-Sri Lanka human resources cooperation.
The Chinese Ambassador expressed his sincere gratitude to the Department of External Resources of the Ministry of Finance for its support and cooperation in China’s foreign aid training.
“As a Chinese saying goes, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” China’s foreign aid training is a concrete action to implement global development initiative raised by President Xi Jinping and an important measure to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind,” he said.
According to the Ambassador, China’s foreign aid training adheres to the concept of sharing, consultation and co-construction, builds a platform for countries to exchange experience in governance, and fully shares the successful experience of Chinese modernisation. Since China launched foreign aid training programs in 1950, it has trained over 510,000 people for developing countries.
“The Chinese Government attaches great importance to all-round educational cooperation with Sri Lanka. Over the years, it has used foreign aid funds to hold various training programs in China, inviting nearly 13,000 Sri Lankan friends of various circles to participate in seminars in China. By the end of October this year, over 1,000 Sri Lankan participants went to China for training, and the training topics covered 17 major areas including public management, scientific research, information technology, economy and trade, education, health, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, resources and environment, and disaster management. Through mutual learning and exchanges, we have grown together and deepened the traditional friendship between our two countries,” said Ambassador Qi.
He said President Xi Jinping clearly pointed out that we must insist that science and technology are the primary productive force, talent is the primary resource, and innovation is the primary driving force. All in all, it highlights the importance of education and talent cultivation.
“The Chinese Government will continue to deepen human resources cooperation with developing countries, to stay committed to encouraging the development and revitalisation of the “Global South”, injecting robust impetus into global progress,” the Ambassador emphasised.