A group of 21 Chinese students will study in 13 Colombian
universities as part of the first-ever educational exchange program
between China and Colombia, officials announced in Bogota at a
ceremony to mark the event on Thursday.
The program was a good start for education cooperation between
the two countries, and will certainly play an important role in
promoting cultural communication and friendship between the two
peoples, said Marta Lucia Villegas Botero, a Colombian official in
charge of the program.
Speaking at the ceremony, Wu Changsheng, China's ambassador to
Colombia, encouraged the students to take the opportunity to make
academic achievements and contribute to China's development.
The 21 Chinese students, who arrived on Tuesday, will study
courses lasting between six months and a year, with all expenses
covered by the Colombian government.
The program was initiated by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe
after his visit to China in 2005, during which he was impressed by
the fluent Spanish spoken by Chinese university students, saying he
would offer them a chance to study in Colombia.
(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2006)
