CRBC scholarships for Pakistani students to strengthen Pak-China relations: Chairman HEC

ISLAMABAD, Sep 06 (APP):The China Road & Bridge Corporation (CRBC) scholarships for Pakistani students under Inherit of Pak-China Friendship, Hundred Talent Study Financing Programme will help strengthen China-Pakistan relations.
This was stated by Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Tariq Banuri while addressing a send-off ceremony held in honour of 24 Pakistani students proceeding to China for Masters studies in various fields of Transportation Engineering, Structural Engineering, Geo-Technical Engineering, Railways, Bridges and Tunnels.
Mr Yao Jing, Ambassador of People’s Republic of China to Pakistan, Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director, HEC, Mr. Li Zhihuai, General Manager CRBC and students selected on merit through a transparent selection process attended the ceremony.
Dr. Banuri said that the CRBC scholarships provide an important opportunity to Pakistani students to study in South East University, China and also learn about the manifestations that led to the economic growth of China. “Work hard and learn about the habits of work and discipline that has caused the success of Chinese economy,” he emphasised. He advised the students to become ambassadors of Pakistan in China and portray a good image of the country. “I think myself to be the ambassador of China-Pakistan friendship, as China has proved it to be a very trustworthy friend of Pakistan,” he added.
Appreciating the CRBC for its collaborative efforts, Dr. Banuri said that CRBC scholarships are an important step forward towards execution of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. He mentioned a number of projects completed by China for the uplift of Pakistan including Karakorum Highway.
In his remarks, the Chinese Ambassador congratulated the Pakistani people on Defence Day and said that the Day reminds the world of Pakistan’s struggle to safeguard its sovereignty and integrity. He asserted that the future development of Pakistan depends on youth as the youth consist of 60 per cent population of the country. “China wants Pakistan to get developed and is keen to contribute to its development,” he stated, adding that China is confident of Pakistan’s future development and prosperity.
The Ambassador said that the CRBC is an initiative of CPEC to not only strengthen government-to-government relations but also to develop business-to-business and people-to-people contacts. “China is keen to work with the new Pakistani government and enhance cooperation and partnership,” he said.
The HEC and CRBC signed a Memorandum of Understanding for award of 100 scholarships under the umbrella of “Inherit of Pak-China Friendship, Hundred Talent Study Financing Programme” in 20017.
The 1st batch of 10 Pakistani engineers was selected in 2017, whereas the 2nd batch of 24 Pakistani engineers are now proceeding to South East University, China to join fall 2018 session. The programme is aimed to train the policy maker and performer who possesses global strategy and sustainable development vision for regional communication and transportation, and train the advanced manager and high-end technical personnel for modern transportation industry.
This scholarship programme is in line with Government of Pakistan’s vision of development through CPEC that works on a well-defined pathway for regional connectivity enhancing people-to-people contact through academic, economic and cultural relations. The scholarship will be fully funded and cover the tuition, accommodation, return airfare and living stipend for all awardees.