On Friday, September 2, 2022, beneficiaries of the 2022 Chinese Government Scholarships were represented at a departure ceremony held at the Chinese Embassy in Congo Town, where they surprisingly presented a certificate to the Chinese Ambassador, Ren Yisheng, as a token of appreciation for the scholarships.
The scholarship program is offering one-year and two-year master’s programs, as well as three-year doctoral programs for the purpose of educating high-end and inter-disciplinary talent working in the applied fields of government, trade, foreign affairs, agriculture, technology, education, culture and health, building intellectual capacity and facilitating the economic and social development of the recipient countries.
It also provides assistance to governmental officials, research fellows, and senior managerial personnel on their master’s and doctorate education in China, which are fully funded by the People’s Republic of China.
Beneficiaries from the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China will get free tuition fees, funds for teaching materials, field trip, medical insurance, round trip ticket and a monthly stipend.
During the departure ceremony, Ambassador Ren Yisheng emphasized the need for China’s continued diplomatic and development initiatives between the two countries and boasted of 190 fully-funded scholarships from the People’s Republic of China intended for Liberians, some of whom will be travelling to China in the coming days and months.
The Chinese Ambassador told visiting guests that technical assistance for SKD Sports Complex and LBS are ongoing, while new projects like the two Overpass Bridges on Tubman Boulevard, the National Clinical Diagnostic and Treatment Lab at 14 Military Hospital, the Fingerprint Comparison Lab, and LBS upgrade and expansion are in the tendering and procurement phases.
“A Chinese engineering team is expected to come to conduct the feasibility study for the Somalia-Sinkor Road and Bridge project. The two governments are working closely on implementing a new phase of economic and technical cooperation”, he added.
Ambassador Yisheng also invited the Minister of Education, Prof. Ansu Sonii , President of the University of Liberia, Dr. Julius J. Sarwolo Nelson, Dr. Romelle A. Horton, President of Cuttington University, Ponnie Robertlee Dolo, CEO of the Jackson Fiah Doe Referral hospital in Tapitah, Nimba County, among others.
Narrating the strong diplomatic tie between Liberia and China in terms of development, he said, “In recent years, under the framework of the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) advocated by President Xi Jinping and the “Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development”(PAPD) advocated by President George Manneh Weah, China-Liberia cooperation has achieved fruitful results in such areas as economy and trade, health care, infrastructure construction, food security, and human resource development.”
He also pointed tothe China-aided projects such as the Ministerial Complex, the two annexes to the Capitol Building, and the Roberts International Airport through concessional loan that have become a new landmarks of Monrovia.
However he boasted of the new political dimension in china indicating that, “The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will be convened on October 16 in Beijing. With this congress, the new leadership of CPC central committee will be elected to lead the Chinese people to march towards the second centenary goal and build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful by the middle of this century when we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the PRC”
Also speaking during the program was the, Minister of Education who received huge donation of rice from the Chinese Ambassador and promised to carry out a fair distribution among some underprivileged schools in Liberia. He also thanked the 2022 Liberians scholars for the thoughts to extend symbolic appreciation to China through a certificate of appreciation. He cautioned Liberian scholars to return with flying colors and make Liberia proud.
