Red Star News:
China's foreign aid and international development cooperation focuses on combining soft and hard aid , especially in helping developing countries build their capacity. What progress has China made in human resources development of foreign aid?
Zhao Fengtao:
You raised a good issue. As we know, science, technology, and management are the basic driving forces for the development of human society, and talent is fundamental in the development of all countries. China's foreign aid and international development cooperation include not only hard aid — "give people fish and you feed them for a day," — but also soft aid that promotes the idea of "teach people how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime." Over the past 70 years, China has vigorously promoted cooperation on human resources development and unreservedly shared advanced technology, management experience, and development concepts, making China's contribution to the development capacity of developing countries.
Human resources development programs are also typical "small yet smart" programs, as Mr. Tang just mentioned. Over the past 70 years, our areas of cooperation have become increasingly abundant. China's human resources development cooperation now spans 17 fields and over 100 majors. In addition to traditional areas of strength such as agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries, we have continued to expand cooperation into emerging fields, including 5G communication, the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, and mobile payments. We have also organized over 500 sessions of special training focused on governance. The experience of Chinese modernization has been shared overseas, and the book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" has been read by political leaders in many countries.
The forms of cooperation have become increasingly varied. We have engaged in both bilateral and multilateral cooperation, integrated online and offline channels, and conducted cooperation in various forms, including short- and medium-term training programs in China, higher education degree and diploma programs, overseas experts and consultants, and young volunteers. At the same time, we have initiated tripartite cooperation with developed countries such as Germany and Japan, as well as international organizations, including the UNDP and the ECOSOC, to jointly assist developing countries in enhancing their capacity.
Our cooperation has achieved increasingly significant progress. Over the past 70 years, we have organized about 15,000 training sessions for more than 180 countries and organizations worldwide, training over 400,000 professionals across various fields. This has effectively enhanced the capacity for development in relevant areas of these countries. The students, coming from multiple levels and fields around the world, have played crucial roles in building their countries and coordinating international affairs.
We believe that a single flower does not make spring; human society needs to develop and thrive together. China will expedite the establishment of a comprehensive and multidimensional cooperation system for international human resources development across various fields, contributing China's strength to advancing global development with the development philosophy and experience of Chinese modernization. Thank you.
