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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Top left shows students at lecture; top right is Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas His Excellency Yuan Guisen; and bottom is V.P Student Affairs at The College of The Bahamas Dr. Eslyn Jones addresses the audience.
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Nassau, New Providence - Optimistic about the status and future of relations between the People’s Republic of China and The Bahamas, Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas His Excellency Yuan Guisen gave a distinguished lecture recently to student leaders at The College of The Bahamas. He invited them to appreciate the ties that bind the two developing nations.
“China and The Bahamas have witnessed very good relations over the years. And also over the years, we have seen a broader and broader cooperation in trade and economics,” said the Ambassador, who spoke through an interpreter.
“Though China is a developing country just like The Bahamas, we would like to do our best to help and work together with The Bahamas,” he added.
China’s impact on the economy of The Bahamas is evident through the development of infrastructure and the tourism plant, specifically in the creation of the airport gateway project, the mega Baha Mar Resort on Cable Beach and the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in New Providence. A growing number of Bahamians continue to pursue education opportunities in China, a significant number of them as students of the Confucius Institute at The College of The Bahamas.
The Chinese government has also committed to educating approximately 100 students at the Master's degree level in China and providing 1,000 full scholarships for Caribbean nationals.
In his presentation to the students, the Chinese Ambassador focused largely on the history and culture of his country, its development in the global arena and economic, environmental and agricultural challenges.
Co-Director of the Confucius Institute at The College of The Bahamas, Mr. Haldane Chase also spoke of the strengths of the existing relationship between China and The Bahamas and the Ambassador’s support of bi-lateral relations.
“His Excellency has shown himself to be a great friend not only of The College of The Bahamas through the Confucius Institute but in other areas in the community,” he shared.
“We have seen the Ambassador interact with students at the high school level, inviting them to be his guests at the Embassy. We have seen him here at The College of The Bahamas and we’ve even seen him at Junkanoo, not as a spectator but as performer. So we see the Ambassador brings to us not just the formality of a diplomat, but rather the warmth of a friend,” Mr. Chase added.
COB students at the Northern Bahamas Campus also participated in the lecture via instant messaging technology. The lecture series, hosted by the Department of Student Leadership and International Relations, is a critical vehicle to exposing students to various leaders in the Bahamian community who share diverse perspectives on myriad global and international issues.
“In so doing, it builds relationships between engaged and emerging leaders, promotes dialogue on issues of national importance, fosters a spirit of community and engagement in the development of future leaders, and provides a forum for students to interface with role models and mentors,” explained Dr. Timyka Davis, Director of Student Leadership and International Relations.
The next lecture will be delivered by Mr. Ernst Rumer, Consul of Austria in The Bahamas, on the topic “Challenges of Immigration, Integration and Environmental Stewardship: A Discussion of Similarities between Austria and The Bahamas” on Thursday, October 2nd, 2014 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at The College’s Michael H. Eldon Complex.
© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com
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