Chinese Ambassador Lu Xu announced continued support for Malawian youth through scholarships and cultural exchange programs. This commitment was made on Saturday in Lilongwe during the Malawi finals of the 24th Chinese Bridge Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students.
Ambassador Xu stated that China offers nearly 100 scholarships annually to Malawian students for study in China. Over 1,000 students have already benefited from this program. She expressed her desire to strengthen cooperation and enhance mutual understanding to promote the China-Malawi strategic partnership.
The Ambassador highlighted that participants in such programs act as academic ambassadors and diplomats, promoting Malawian culture in China. The competition aligns with China's Global Civilisation Initiative, which promotes international cultural and people-to-people exchanges through the China-aided Confucius Institute (CI).
Damazio Mfune, CI Malawi director and Associate Professor at the University of Malawi (Unima), emphasized the crucial role of CI programs in linguistic and cultural exchange. These programs, including the competition, have increased interest in the Chinese language and opened academic opportunities abroad for local students.
Isaac Mwanza won this year's competition and will represent Malawi in the global finals in China, also participating in a cultural exchange program. The competition included 13 students from various Malawian universities and institutes. The event took place at the newly completed Confucius Institute at Kamuzu College of Health Sciences Lilongwe Campus.