Cambodia is so grateful to China for providing annual university-level scholarships to students, a senior official here said, adding that the assistance is crucial to help develop human capital in the Southeast Asian country.
Speaking during a farewell ceremony for students winning the Chinese government scholarship on Friday, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron said they will become valuable assets for Cambodia and messengers of friendship between Cambodia and China.
For 2024, the Chinese government has granted full scholarships to about 200 Cambodian students to pursue their bachelor's, master's and doctor's degrees in China.
"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Chinese embassy to Cambodia and the Chinese government and people for their strong support for Cambodia's human resources development, which is a catalyst for socio-economic development," he said, noting that human capital development is essential to help the kingdom achieve its ambitious goals of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income nation by 2050.
The deputy prime minister also advised them to behave well and to strictly abide by Chinese laws and school regulations during their studies.
"I believe that studying in China will be the most valuable experience in your lives," Chuon Naron told the students. "You will not only learn professional skills, but also gain insights into Chinese traditional culture and daily lives in the new era."
Um Vuty, founder and chairman of the Association of Cambodian Students in China (ACSC), said the scholarship winners will study at various universities in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Kunming, among others.
"Excellent Cambodia-China relations have created favorable conditions for Cambodian students to win scholarships for studying in China," he told Xinhua.
Vuty, who is also an assistant to Cambodian Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen, said most of the scholarship recipients have chosen to study in the majors of economy and trade, engineering, public administration, law, and Chinese literature, among others.
"I hope that the students will not only broaden their horizons, but also become key contributors to the promotion of Cambodia-China friendship," he said.
Ly Sivfong, a 28-year-old scholarship winner for a master's degree study at the Kunming Medical University in Kunming City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, said the scholarships have offered hope for him and other students to realize their dreams.
"When I graduate my study in China, I aspire to become a nephrologist, hoping to help further develop the health sector in Cambodia," he told Xinhua.
As 2024 is the people-to-people exchange year between Cambodia and China, he believes that the exchange year will help promote cultural ties, people-to-people contact, tourism, trade and investment between the two countries.
"As a young generation, I will help boost Cambodia-China relations through promoting mutual cultures and people-to-people exchange," Sivfong said.
Tang Muyly, a 19-year-old scholarship winner for a bachelor's degree study at the Beijing Technology and Business University, said the scholarship has motivated her to excel in her studies and pursue her dream of becoming an economist.
"China's quality of education is high and technology is also modern. This is why I want to pursue my study in China, so I can bring knowledge to help develop Cambodia," she told Xinhua.
"I would like to thank the Chinese government for having provided a lot of scholarships to Cambodian students for studying in China and for taking good care of them during their studies in China," Muyly said.
At the event, artists also performed various traditional dances and songs to celebrate the Cambodia-China people-to-people exchange year 2024.