Zhejiang University student Tungamirai Eric Mupona (C) from Zimbabwe sells local products in livestreaming in Xingxian County, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Xinhua)
TAIYUAN, March 16 (Xinhua) — The “two sessions,” the annual political meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), offer international students in China a window to take a look at the development of this Asian country.
Originally from the Republic of Congo, Passy Charles Riseph, a business management student at Shanxi University, is more interested in how China promotes rural revitalization after eradicating poverty.
Last year, Charles traveled to rural areas of China for the first time. During his trip to Lingtou, a village in the northern province of Shanxi, he found that e-commerce, which facilitates nationwide sales of local delicacies such as millet and buckwheat, was an effective approach to increasing income. inhabitants.
“The roads in the village are convenient and the surroundings are attractive, and you can see two-storey houses everywhere,” Charles said. “More importantly, many young people are willing to stay and work in the village. This is a prerequisite for balanced urban and rural development,” he adds.
For a large number of international students, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is also the most interesting topic during the “two sessions”.
Linking Kashgar, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (northwest China), to the port of Gwadar, in Pakistan, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, 3,000 km long, includes construction projects in the fields of transport, energy, agriculture and others that bring tangible benefits to local people.
After more than four years of construction, the 40.8 MW Koto hydropower project, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, is nearing completion and is expected to be commissioned this year.
“I followed the Koto Hydroelectric Project not only because it is in my hometown, but also because my father, who is a mechanical engineer, keeps telling me about the potential benefits and importance of the project for the population,” says Pir Tariq Shah, a doctoral student specializing in microbiology at Shanxi University. He also followed the news of the “two sessions” and was impressed with China’s achievements last year.
According to the government work report, China will promote high-quality cooperation under the BRI, sticking to the principle of “consultation, synergy and sharing.” Tariq believes this will boost the growth of participating countries.
“China’s economic success has brought not only opportunity but also confidence to developing countries,” said Charles, who is determined to return to the Republic of Congo to apply his knowledge to build his country. “I want more of my compatriots to enjoy a better life in the future,” he concludes.
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