Mr. Yuanming Li, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China,

Miss Marilyn Zonicle, Ag. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

Our Chinese Scholarship recipient

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Morning

It is indeed my pleasure to be able to join you this morning as we recognize a young bahamian who have been awarded full scholarship from the government of the people’s republic of china to pursue further education in that country.

i am very pleased to note that the recipient of the chinese shcolarship this year is a young bahamian lady who plan to pursue a degree in traditional chinese medicine at the bachelor’s level.

with the establishment of diplomatic relations between the bahamas and the people’s republic of china in may of 1997, the government of the people’s republic of china, through the china scholarship council, has awarded full scholarships to a total of nine bahamian students to pursue higher education at the bachelor and master levels in a variety of fields – from manufacturing and design of clothing and apparel; to medicine; and to marine transportation.

this morning we are recognizing the award of a scholarship to miss megan mackey, in the field of traditional chinese medicine. i encourage you, megan to take full advantage of this opportunity to learn all that you can, including fluency in the chinese language; to strive for excellence; and upon your return, to play a role in the further development of the bahamas. this small, but striving country of ours, needs all her citizens to give of their best, and to fully participate in all aspects of her development.

i want to express, on behalf of the people and goverment of the commowealth of the bahamas, my sincere appreciation for the financial assistance that the government of the people’s republic of china has given over the past eight years, and in particular, for this scholarship programme that will allow bahamians to realize their dreams of higher education, and thereby to contribute to the development of the bahamas for generations to come.

i congratulate you, megan, and wish you the very best in your studies.