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REMARKS
BY
HON. BRENT SYMONETTE
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
CHINA SCHOLARSHIP
PRESS CONFERENCE
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
GOODMAN’S BAY
AUGUST 14, 2008 AT 11:00AM
Ambassador His Excellency Hu Dingxian,
Ms. Hyacinth Pratt, Permanent Secretary in the
Ministry of Tourism & Aviation,
Ms. Vernice Walkine, Director General in the
Ministry of Tourism & Aviation,
Mr. BJ Saunders of Majestic Tours,
Scholarship Recipients
Members of the Press,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good morning.
You would be aware that The
Bahamas established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic
of China in 1997. Since that time, China has proven herself a good
friend of The Bahamas.
Just two years after the
establishment of diplomatic ties, the People’s Republic of China
initiated a programme that provided full scholarships for Bahamians
to study various disciplines in China. Up to July 24 of this year,
there were 19 Bahamians who had received scholarships under this
programme.
Today, another four Bahamians
of merit are being added to the list of beneficiaries of China. For
a period of four months, from 20th August to 17th
December, the four Bahamian students will be fully immersed in the
Chinese language and culture in Beijing, studying at the Beijing
Chinese Language and Culture College.
This is a tremendous
opportunity for the individual students as well as the entire
Bahamas because we will all be enriched by the talent and skill that
this course will provide. The students – Terrance Strachan and
Francenia Clarke of the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation and Crystal
Evans and Crystal Fowler of Majestic Tours, have already
successfully completed three phases of Mandarin training at the
College of The Bahamas, Nassau.
This training course is yet
another sign of the excellent working relationship that The Bahamas
enjoys with the People’s Republic of China. China has readily
offered us technical assistance, training, and cooperation in many
areas. So, we are extremely pleased with the connection that we have
forged with our Chinese friends.
As you know, the Prime
Minister, Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham appointed Mrs. Elma Campbell as
resident ambassador to China just last month. Ambassador Campbell
will be working diligently to build on the foundation that has
already been laid for China-Bahamas cooperation.
The Bahamas’ Embassy in China
is working in the interest of Bahamian students in China. The
Embassy is also concerned with causing applications for visas to be
processed in a timely manner so that Chinese citizens would not be
unduly delayed when attempting to travel to The Bahamas for business
and recreation.
We are very grateful to the
Government of the People’s Republic of China for providing this
opportunity for Bahamians to become proficient in Mandarin. And we
are certain that the training will not end with these four students
today.
In fact, the Chinese
government, through its Ministry of Commerce, has already extended
another three scholarships for a training course that will begin in
September. At that time, Sgt. Debra Thompson of the Royal Bahamas
Police Force and Tadia Mitchell and Kelia Collie-McIntosh of The
Bahamas Department of Immigration will also begin their immersion
program in Chinese.
We wish to publicly thank the
People’s Republic of China, through Ambassador His Excellency Hu
Dingxian, for her most generous gifts to the people of The Bahamas.
Ambassador Hu:
These scholarships will
certainly add to the talent that we have in The Bahamas and the
training being provided will benefit both Bahamians and Chinese
citizens. We also look forward to continuing to build our mutually
beneficial relationship.
To our four (4) scholarship
recipients, I wish to extend on behalf of the entire Bahamas our
congratulations to all of you –for your tireless commitment,
dedication and fortitude in your continuous pursuit to develop your
skills and aptitude in the Chinese language- mandarin. I have been
told that it is not too easy a language to learn, however I can say
this: Haoyun! (how-yun) which is: ‘good luck!’
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I now invite Ambassador Hu to
present our scholars with their airline tickets to Beijing. |
