The Minister of Culture in the caretaker government, Judge Muhammad Wissam Al-Murtada, said that “the future that we aspire to at all levels is to build together, hand in hand, and that China is the main future partner of our Arab countries, for the sake of our children who seek to change all this dire reality, through scientific specialization, technical, cognitive and linguistic, with the openness of our nascent and creative Arabic language to the pioneering Chinese language.”
Minister Al-Murtada’s words came during his patronage of the ceremony held by the “Arab Chinese Cooperation and Development Association”, at the headquarters of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Beirut, in honor of Chinese language graduates from the Lebanese University, Lebanese graduates from Chinese universities, and trainees in the workshop held by the Association on e-commerce across the border.
The ceremony was attended by a crowd of cultural, educational and scientific bodies and the families of the graduate students, in addition to the Minister of Culture, a representative of the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Walid Zain Al-Din, the University Scholarships Officer in the Ministry, a representative of the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in Beirut, Xian Minjian, the Commercial Consul, Mrs. Li Jing. Mr. Diao Jiandong, President of the Shandong Vocational College of Foreign Trade, two delegates for the Confucius Center at Saint Joseph University, Mrs. Karen and Mrs. Zhang, representative of Mr. Adnan and Mr. Adel Al-Qassar a long-time friends of China, Mrs. Nadine Hajjar, and the writer about Chinese affairs, Dr. Nabil Sorour.
The ceremony was presented by a member of the administrative body of the Arab Chinese Cooperation and Development Association and a technology consultant, Sarah Younes. It began with the Lebanese and Chinese national anthems.
From the presentation’s speech: “Because our Arab countries are in need of development, we seek in our association to implement a number of exchange policies with China, through cooperation in the field of education, culture, social development and many possible fields. The ancient “Silk Road” laid a solid foundation for friendship between us, and the currently proposed “Belt and Road” initiative strengthens this friendship, which we hope will continue, for the benefit of all.” Younes also thanked Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in the person of its president, Minister Mohamed Choucair, for his continuous support and patronage.
And the first speech was given by Mr. Diao Jiandong, President of Shandong Vocational College of Foreign Trade, via “Zoom” technology. In it, he presented a general view of the Chinese Lebanese relations, and talked about the college he heads, and the scientific values it has achieved so far, in terms of the successive batches of graduates since its establishment in the 1960s. He congratulated the Lebanese students who graduated from it. From what he said about the college, it hosted this year the “United Nations Program on South Cooperation in Cross-Border E-Commerce, for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development”, with the participation of more than 1,100 trainees from 94 countries and regions in the world. In addition, there are a thousand institutions that have cooperation relations with our college, in order to promote economic and trade development, from countries along the “Belt and Road”.
With regard to Lebanon, he affirmed that “developing a group of specialized talents is useful in working with branches of Chinese companies in Lebanon and other Arabic-speaking countries, or with Lebanese companies in China. Our college provides training in professional technology, language, professional culture, and practice in these companies, which is beneficial for businessmen who wants to do business with China.
The Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Walid Zeineddine, conveyed the Minister’s greetings and congratulated the graduates and trainees, and said that the Lebanese University receives five Chinese students annually to study Arabic with grants from the Ministry, and China offers Lebanon five scholarships for master’s and doctoral studies. The Chinese and Lebanese students who receive scholarships are ambassadors for their countries, expanding the horizons of cooperation and exchange at all levels.” He concluded, calling for more educational, economic and cultural initiatives and exchanges between Lebanon and China.
Then Mrs. Li Jing, Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Beirut gave her speech in which she thanked the Arab Chinese Cooperation and Development Association for this ceremony and the activities it is carrying out. It stopped on the occasion of the successful conclusion of the Twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China a few days ago, when the Constitution of the Communist Party of China was revised to include the promotion of the common values of humanity of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which reflects the CPC members’ deep sense of commitment and responsibility for the common good of the world and mankind.
She noted that China and Lebanon signed a memorandum of understanding on building the Belt and Road together in 2017 and continued to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Despite the difficult circumstances and the effects of the Covid-19, the Chinese government insisted on completing its assistance to Lebanon to build and equip the National Lebanon Conservatory. Many officials and industry and trade leaders are constantly working to establish platforms for cooperation and information exchange between companies in the two countries. Despite the COVID-19 that affected some business plans, we are finding ways to continue cooperation, especially projects on the line of human resource development, cooperation in the areas of e-commerce and public administration. And she concluded promising, and after the improvement of the situation, to consider also the resumption of inviting the trainees to participate in the training to China.
The speech of the graduates and trainees was delivered by Miss Aseel Issa, in which she thanked the Arab Chinese Cooperation and Development Association, for its interest in the new generation, and for opening channels of communication between China and Lebanon. She said: “We know that this association is making a great effort to strengthen economic, social and cultural relations between the Arab peoples and the Chinese people, taking at the same time the “Belt and Road” initiative as an umbrella for its work, with the aim of investing the great potential available in the Arab region and China, for development steps, It raises the level of man and preserves his dignity.” She also thanked the cooperating Chinese universities, and the honorable professors, and “everyone who contributed to our education, for the great achievements you have made during our learning journey, and we appreciate all the efforts that you have never been stingy in, and we have grown up with you and your achievements.”
And the penultimate speech of the Minister of Culture, in which he referred to China’s assistance in constructing “a cultural landmark whose counterpart in the entire Middle East is the Higher Institute of Music,” and stressed that some policies should not deprive Lebanon, the Lebanese, and future generations “of the People’s State of China contributing with its unparalleled capabilities ordinary ways in our rise and our salvation from what we suffer, whether in the areas of electricity generation, or in the areas of internal public transport by land and sea, or in the areas of building bridges and digging tunnels, or in the fields of the pharmaceutical industry, or finding sustainable solutions to waste, and in various other fields.” Expressing his fear that “the one who turns his back and refuses that, rejects him consciously and not out of astonishment, because he is paid to serve the outside against the interests of our people, but the force of truth prevails, and what achieves the interests of the sons of this country will inevitably happen even after a while.”
He pointed out that “one of the beautiful things with which the Chinese genie shook the world was the cultural, scientific, academic, literary and linguistic cross-fertilization, which motivated many of our children in our Arab world in general and Lebanon in particular, to devote themselves to the language of this human civilization. And this genie still occupies the world in various fields of life.”
He stressed that “China is the main future partner of our Arab countries, and that the Arab-Chinese Cooperation and Development Association plays an important role in order to activate and strengthen China’s role in the Arab world, and to confirm permanent communication between various human civilizations. That is why our pioneering generations and sons must work to be the bridges between constructive minds, for the sake of a world in which all abilities and energies are integrated.
The speeches concluded with a speech by the President of the Arab Chinese Cooperation and Development Association, Mr. Qassem Tufaili, in which he saw that this celebration constitutes an encouraging incentive for more economic cooperation, and cultural and educational exchange between Lebanon and China. He recalled the objectives of the association, which, since its establishment, focused on basic axes in economic, social and cultural development. He affirmed the association’s commitment that Lebanon and Lebanese goods have a special website on Chinese e-commerce platforms, which would open wider areas not only for the disposal of various Lebanese products but could constitute a catalyst for production and manufacturing that suits the Chinese market needs.
Tufaili said: Our association aspires to play an effective role in promoting the Arab Chinese educational, cultural and creative exchange in general, and the Lebanese Chinese interaction in particular. This has been embodied in our giving priority to securing study opportunities for Arab and Lebanese students, which we have succeeded in achieving and what we hope to resume in the coming period, after the complications of the Corona pandemic have passed. Allow me to take this opportunity to ask friends in China, and through the embassy in Beirut, to double the number of scholarships and diversify their specializations, including postgraduate studies. We also call on the Lebanese Ministry of Education to benefit from the experiences of many Arab countries that have introduced Chinese language instruction as part of their educational programs. We are ready to help launch such a process.”
He believed, “The coming period, when the obstacles to travel to China will be removed, will witness a revival of cultural and artistic activities, especially with the approaching date of the opening of the headquarters of our association in China, which helps in direct follow-up. And “the prospects for the Lebanese Chinese relations are promising and comprehensive, and they must be framed popularly, in parallel with the official relations. Therefore, we call for the formation of what could be called the “Lebanese National Authority for the Implementation of the Silk Road Agreement,” a body that could include a group of current and former officials and interested personalities, in addition to representatives of relevant economic bodies and NGOs. We will also call for the formation of a joint Lebanese Chinese body to activate relations and reach specific agreements implementing the framework agreement signed between China and Lebanon.
After the speeches, a short video was shown about the stages of work at the Higher Institute of Music, and certificates of appreciation were distributed to graduates and trainees.
