On August 20, 2025, the Chinese Embassy in Papua New Guinea hosted the 2025 reception for Chinese Government Scholarship students. Fifteen outstanding students from PNG are set to depart for China to pursue advanced studies, becoming a new generation of bridges fostering mutual understanding and practical cooperation between the two countries.
In his speech, Ambassador Yang Xiaoguang highlighted that China, as the world’s second-largest economy, is comprehensively advancing Chinese-style modernization, making breakthroughs in technological innovation and green development in recent years. With a continuous civilization spanning 5,000 years, China’s achievements today reflect the integration of national heritage and modern development.
Ambassador Yang noted that in 2024, China’s GDP reached CNY 134.9 trillion, maintaining a growth rate of 5%, with its contribution to global economic growth consistently around 30%; in the first quarter of 2025, the growth rate rose to 5.3%. He emphasized that China has established the world’s largest high-speed rail and highway network, alongside a nationwide fiber-optic broadband system, creating a highly digitalized modern living environment. Simultaneously, China leads globally in quantum technology, life sciences, space exploration, and the low-altitude economy.
On green development, China’s installed capacity for wind and solar power exceeds 1.5 billion kilowatts, and its contribution to global greening since 2000 accounts for one-quarter of new green areas, steadily advancing toward carbon peak and neutrality goals.
Ambassador Yang stressed that China-PNG relations are at their best in history, with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties approaching in 2026. Both countries mutually support each other on core interests, with deepening cooperation across economic, cultural, and other sectors.
The PNG Minister for Higher Education attended on behalf of the government, expressing sincere gratitude for China’s continuous support of PNG’s education over the past 49 years. He highlighted that the Chinese scholarship program, implemented for 40 years, has helped nearly 1,000 PNG students complete their studies, including alumni who now hold senior government positions. This year alone, 15 new scholars will head to China.
He particularly mentioned the National Digital Library at the University of the South Pacific, a major breakthrough in PNG’s digital education, which showcases the practical and forward-looking value of China’s assistance.
A PNG alumnus who previously received a Chinese Government Scholarship shared his reflections. Beginning with the history of Chinese immigrants in PNG, he recalled the struggles and contributions of the Chinese community from colonial times through independence to the present day. He summarized five core characteristics of China’s development path: mature and resolute strategic decision-making, a spirit of national entrepreneurship, philosophical wisdom inheritance, profound national sentiment, and self-reliant perseverance.
He encouraged the new scholars not only to excel academically but also to observe and experience daily life in China, gaining deep insights into Chinese society and culture, and to become grassroots ambassadors of China-PNG friendship.
This reception marks not just the start of a new journey for a group of students, but also reflects the broader trajectory of China-PNG relations into the next fifty years. Educational cooperation cultivates more than talent—it fosters trust, understanding, and shared development. From scholarships to digital libraries, from youth exchanges to national cooperation, practice proves that the true strength of China-PNG relations lies in the hearts of the people, rooted in shared aspirations. With the departure of this new generation of scholars, China-PNG relations will continue to gather wisdom and friendship, advancing bilateral cooperation on regional and global stages.
