The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe on Friday hosted an open house event for educators to commemorate the ongoing state visit to China by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Speaking at the event, Chinese charge d'affaires Cheng Yan announced that China would be offering 11 governmental scholarships to Zimbabwean students this year.
Cheng highlighted the importance of education in fostering social progress and sustainable development.
“This year, 11 students have got the governmental scholarships. Today we have seven of them here who are ready to set out,” he said.
“I want to extend warm congratulations to them and hope they will serve as goodwill ambassadors, study hard in China, enjoy life in China and return home with more knowledge and skills for their motherland and people.
“Also for this year, we have already invited 260 local friends to attend short-term training programs in China.
He emphasised the alignment between Zimbabwe's Heritage-Based Education 5.0 Philosophy and China's approach to education, which prioritizes science, technology, and talent development.
The Chinese embassy has also been actively involved in promoting cultural exchange through initiatives such as the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe.
Over the past 17 years, the Institute has graduated around 3000 students and offered Chinese language courses to over 16,000 students.
Cheng expressed hope that these programs would enhance understanding between the two countries and contribute to bilateral cooperation.
“As we all know, H. E. President Mnangagwa started his state visit to China yesterday and will attend the 2024 FOCAC Beijing Summit.
“H. E.’s visit will be a historic event for our bilateral relations and will open up new vistas forChina-Africa and China-Zimbabwe relationship.
“And with no doubt, it will forge a fresh start for our pragmatic cooperation including education cooperation,” he added.
He added there is a need for continued collaboration on university and school exchanges, scholarship opportunities, short term visits or programs, to enrich friendships and bilateral cooperation.
Laston Mukaro, the co-director at the University of Zimbabwe’s Confucius Institute said interactions between different civilisations should be guided by the vision of harmony without uniformity, mutual respect, and mutual learning.
“Mutual learning between China and Africa has come up in various areas, including economic development, educational collaborations, technology transfer, and cultural exchanges,” Mukaro said.
“The two major civilisations of China and Africa treat each other as equals and seek common ground while reserving the differences.
“Zimbabwe and China's different cultures and their societies came and are thriving together through mutual support, collaboration, and understanding this quickens economic development, human capital development, and technology transfer, which are key to the tenets of industrialisation.”