Envoy says China eying broader regional understanding through UoP

PESHAWAR: Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Pakistan Yao Jing said here Thursday that China wanted to gain understanding of Central Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan through the University of Peshawar (UoP).

Speaking at a meeting with Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Asif Khan and faculty members at the UoP, he said the China Study Centre at the university would help Chinese researchers and scholars gain broader understanding of the region.

He said he was impressed with the development and achievements of the UoP for the last several years.

The China Study Centre established with the support of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China was inaugurated on October 17, 2016.

Calling upon the UoP administration to take benefit from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, the ambassador pointed out that CPEC is not building highways as most people misunderstood it. “The CPEC is a long-term people-to-people contact,” he added.

The ambassador said the Chinese Embassy was looking forward to accommodate the UoP students in the upcoming higher education scholarships phase that would end in March. He advised the UoP administration to inform the students about the scholarship programme.

He said that China Study Centre at the UoP would help universities and people of both countries to foster cooperation in all fields, including literature, science, technology and education.

He said his government was looking to facilitate student-to-student exchange programmes and the China Study Centre was one-stop to facilitate students’ camps, host summer camps and bilateral students and faculty exchange programme.

The ambassador said that cooperation in higher education with the UoP would have a deep impact on the relationship between the two countries. He suggested to the university administration to put forward proposals in writing to the Chinese Embassy.

Prof Dr Muhammad Asif thanked the Chinese ambassador for extending cooperation for the development of UoP.

He informed the ambassador that the university was planning to launch bachelor studies, certificate and diploma courses in Chinese language and establish a testing centre of Chinese language on the campus.

He requested cooperation from Chinese engineers for maintenance of the Central Recourse Laboratories (CRL) and scholarships for students in applied sciences.

He briefed the ambassador that the UoP’s Area Study Centre, Pakistan Study Centre and China Study Centre will collaborate to build long lasting academic exchange with Chinese government to foster regional understanding of the people . Later, the delegation visited China Study Centre at the Academic Block II.