On August 23, 2018, the Chinese Embassy in Tonga held a pre-departure reception for the winners of 2018 Chinese Government Scholarships. His Excellency Wang Baodong, Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Tonga and Hon. Penisimani Fifita, Minister of Education and Training attended the reception and presented Admission Letters to the winners of scholarships. Officials from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tonga, scholarship winners and their parents, members of the Tonga-China Student Alumni Association and graduates from the Chinese universities participated in the event.

In his remarks, Ambassador Wang warmly congratulated the Tongan students who had won the Chinese Government Scholarships this year, and expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their strong support to the educational exchange and cooperation between China and Tonga. He said that over the 20 years since the the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, fruitful results have been achieved in educational cooperation. The assistance China provided has played due part in promoting the development Tonga’s educational undertaking. During the State Visit by His Majesty King Tupou VI to China, the two countries signed 7 documents and laid solid foundation for mutually beneficial collaboration in education and human resources training among other areas. The successful visit of the Tongan delegation led by Minister Fifita in July and 2018 Seminar on Basic Education of Primary Schools of Tonga recently held in China have deepened bilateral interactions and cooperation in educational field.

Ambassador Wang said that the Tongan graduates from the Chinese universities are working in various sectors and have become an important force for the national construction of Tonga. The Tonga-China Student Alumni Association has provided a good platform for exchange of ideas among the alumni and promotion of people-to-people contacts between the two countries. He encouraged the scholarship winners to make the best use of the opportunity to study in China, work hard on the Chinese language and professional knowledge, gain in-depth understanding of the Chinese culture, experience the historic changes taken place and historic achievements China has made over the 40 years since reform and opening up, act as good cultural envoys of the Friendly Islands of Tonga and make due contribution to enhancing the friendship between the two peoples and promoting the development of the China-Tonga Strategic Partnership.

In his speech, Minister Fifita expressed gratitude to the Chinese Government for providing the government scholarships to Tonga over the years. He said that although Tonga and China are separated by oceans, having different languages and cultures, the two countries have one common goal of developing human resources and improving social and economic development. Over the 20 years since the two countries normalized their relations, the mutually beneficial relationship is getting stronger and friendlier. Human resource training and scholarships China provided are helpful to reduce Tonga’s gaps of knowledge and skills, and the Tonga-China partnership will contribute to Tonga’s sustainable development.

Minister Fifita praised China as a great nation with warm and friendly people, enjoying developed economy and science and technology. He hoped that the new scholarship students appreciate the scholarship, feel the Chinese culture, learn Chinese language and hard-working values of the Chinese people and contribute better services for Tonga’s national development after their graduation.

Representative of the scholarship winners Ms. Havea said she was honored to be awarded the scholarship and called on the fellow students to grasp skills and make contribution to the construction of Tonga. Mr. Vailea, who just graduated and returned to Tonga shared his experience of study in China. He encouraged the scholarship winners to cherish the opportunity of studying in China, enhance area of specialization, get deeper understanding of the Chinese society and culture, share Tongan culture with Chinese friends and make efforts to promote people-to-people relations and close ties between the two countries.

Members of the Alumni Association performed a song in Chinese to extend best wishes to all the scholarship winners.