Ten Mexican university students were set to travel to China on Thursday to receive two weeks of information technology (IT) training, the Ministry of Communications and Transport (SCT) said.
Students won the opportunity to develop their IT skills in China through "Seeds for the Future," a scholarship program organized by Chinese technology giant Huawei, in conjunction with the ministry, the SCT said in a statement.
At a ceremony at Huawei headquarters in Mexico City to present the winning students with their scholarships, Deputy communications Minister Edgar Olvera underscored the importance of IT in today's world.
The government has made it a priority to expand Mexicans' "access to quality telecommunications services," said Olvera.
Chinese ambassador to Mexico, Qiu Xiaoqi, congratulated the winners and noted the educational exchange marked a "great historic moment in Mexico-China ties."
The students will travel to Shenzhen and Shanghai, said Qiu, adding "the first is the city most representative of the growth in technological innovation, and the second is a great cosmopolitan city, as well as China's financial center."
The students, which come from a variety of states throughout Mexico, were selected on Oct. 5 out of a total of 220 competitors who submitted a two-minute video on the importance of technology to a better world and why they wanted to participate in "Seeds for the Future."
Students will first take a Mandarin course at Beijing's University of Language and Culture, before continuing on to Shenzhen, where they will train in cloud computing, intelligent networks and other aspects of IT at Huawei facilities.
Cesar Merino Ibanez, who graduated from the Technological University of the Valley of Oaxaca, in south Mexico, said the trip will be his first time abroad.
"I am very thankful to the SCT and Huawei, because this kind of opportunity does not occur very often, and I am very grateful to be able to share ... in this cultural exchange and exchange of knowledge," said Merino.
In addition to the scholarship program, Huawei provides free Internet access at some 45,000 locations across Mexico as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts.