Exchanges

Xi Jinping Sends Video Message to WorldSkills Competition

Members of WorldSkills International voted in Abu Dhabi on October 13 to hold the 46th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a video message before the vote in support of Chinas bid to host the competition. Xi said that on behalf of the Chinese government and people he firmly supports Shanghais bid to host the 46th WorldSkills Competition in 2021， and gave his assurance that the city would be ready to host such an innovative and influential event.

He further noted that the competition would promote international exchanges and cooperation on vocational skills， motivate nearly 200 million young Chinese people to take up new skills， and offer a chance for the country to contribute to global skills development. The Chinese government is willing to be involved across the board and will continue to make its contribution to global poverty reduction and sustainable development.

Chinese Premier Welcomes More Foreign Talent

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on September 30 met with a group of foreign experts who had recently received the Friendship Award， given annually by the Chinese government to honor outstanding foreign experts in China.

As the worlds largest developing country， China is at a critical stage of economic restructuring and upgrading， Li said， adding that “we should not only make use of Chinese talent resources and market space， but also adopt a more open policy for foreign experts.” Speaking highly of foreign experts efforts for Chinas development， the premier said China will continue to provide them with favorable working and living conditions.

The foreign experts introduced their achievements in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation， boosting the real economy， and expanding two-way investment， and expressed their willingness to contribute to Chinas development. At the invitation of Li， the award recipients attended the reception marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China.

Chinese-invested Airline Launched in Cambodia

Lanmei Airlines， a Chinese-owned airline， was launched in Phnom Penh， Cambodias capital， on October 9. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Xiong Bo were among nearly 200 guests taking part in the launch ceremony.

Hor Namhong hoped that Lanmei Airlines may build a sky highway for the Lancang-Mekong river area and transport more Chinese and other countriesvisitors to Cambodia. Li Kun， chairman of Lanmei Airlines， was confident that the company would contribute to welding Cambodias Rectangular Strategy and Chinas Belt and Road Initiative as well as the interconnection of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. Cambodian Secretary of State for Civil Aviation Mao Havanall said that Cambodia was targeting two million Chinese tourists by 2020， and that the airlines could help Cambodia to achieve this ambition.endprint

The company is projected to operate more flights between Cambodia， Vietnam， Laos， Myanmar， Thailand， and China.

Growing Exchanges Bring U.S. and China Closer

More than 14，000 American students come to China each year to study， according to U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

That number is set to grow， as 100，000 U.S. students will be awarded opportunities to study in China in the coming four years. And an additional 10，000 credit scholarships are to be provided to U.S. students by the Chinese government over the same period， according to an action plan agreed at the first U.S.-China Social and Cultural Dialogue.

The inaugural bilateral dialogue was co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on September 28 in Washington， D.C. Speeches by Liu and two of President Donald Trumps cabinet members， DeVos and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao， were followed by a public event at George Washington University featuring a Nextgen Dialogue panel.endprint