A select group of people who have studied in China or toured the country were the guests of honour at a social event held on Friday.

Hosted by the Chinese embassy at its St Louis-based headquarters, the evening -- which also coincided with the Chinese New Year -- was a lively one where many unforgettable experiences were shared, stories told and memories re-lived by the past visitors.

The event started with a slideshow presentation of some of the various places the guests had visited and showcased some of the most popular landmarks such as the Great Wall of China and Emperor’s palace.

There were also songs and dance from both cultures, after which the guests turned into students for a moment, as they took part in a quiz which tested their general knowledge about China.

Present at the ceremony -- which was to welcome in the Year of the Dragon and also the Spring Festival -- were the Chinese ambassador to Seychelles Shi Zhongjun and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Paul Adam. Addressing the guests Ambassador Shi said to date around 900 Seychellois have received training in China and over 100 having benefitted from scholarships.
 
“For the past two years, we have given training courses specifically tailored for Seychellois. People from all walks of life and sectors, such as health, agriculture, foreign affairs, sports, education, environment and industry, have benefited from these courses,” he said.

“As a true friend of Seychelles, China fully supports the development of Seychelles and will continue to provide the support which Seychelles needs in its development and will pay more attention to the capacity-building of this country.”

The ambassador also said the Chinese embassy will work closer with relevant local departments to further promote the work of human resources development.

Minister Adam said he admired China’s way of educating its people – a feat which contributes to its success as one of the fastest – if not the fastest-growing – economies in the world.
 
“We have also sought to educate our people as the means for development and ensure we can achieve our millennium development goals,” he said.

Minister Adam spoke of projects the country has benefited under China’s assistance, such as schools, a new parliament building, Supreme Court and others.

“We are surrounded by the symbols of the friendship that we share and we very much look forward to future cooperation,” he said.

The guests then spent the rest of the evening socialising and shared exciting stories of one another’s visit to China.

Forrás: www.nation.sc