He added that China has advanced scientific and technological expertise, and is leading the world in some cutting-edge areas such as 5G information technologies, industrial internet, artificial intelligence, and so on.
The Chinese ambassador was speaking while addressing 27 Gambian students who were newly admitted to Chinese universities through the 2020-2021 Chinese Government Scholarship programme.
“China also has abundant unique experience to share with those studying economy, social development, governance, and so on. For example, China managed to develop its economy from rather small to the second largest in the world in just a few decades; we brought over ten million Chinese people out of poverty every year since 2012, and by the end of this year we will achieve the alleviation of poverty under current standards for the whole nation,” he further stated.
According to him, since the year 2016, over 150 Gambian students have been admitted to prestigious Chinese universities through Chinese Government Scholarship programmes, noting that some of them have successfully graduated and returned.
“China today is more open to the rest of the world than any time before, and will continue to open its doors. By studying in China, you will enjoy access to all the know-how that I mentioned, including technology and experience. I believe this will not only benefit your own careers, but also the development of your country. And that is what China-Gambia cooperation is intended for: to achieve common prosperity, and to help build a China-Africa community with a shared future.”
Ambassador Ma Jianchun revealed that during this painstaking process, Chinese government and people made historic sacrifices, and have contributed tremendously to the anti-COVID-19 battles of other countries, including The Gambia.
“We have donated nine batches of critically-needed medical supplies to The Gambia so far, shared multiple times the most updated technical experiences in fighting COVID-19 with Gambian health authorities and experts, and have been doing our best to keep implementing China-Gambia cooperation programs, including the Chinese Government Scholarship program. Now I am more than happy to see that you have won the coveted scholarship successfully. I would like to express my congratulations to all of you!”
