At the reception, Chargé d'Affaires Li introduced the current state of China-Latvia relations. He specifically noted that both sides have recently carried out practical cooperation and achieved substantive progress in areas such as the export of meat and dairy products to China, transportation, logistics, economic and trade cooperation, the establishment of a Chinese Cultural Center, and the promotion of tourism. In the foreseeable future, Latvia will require a large number of professionals with knowledge of China. To date, China has provided over 200 government scholarship quotas to Latvia, with nearly 40 awarded for the 2015/2016 academic year alone. In addition, China has provided more than 10 short-term training programs for Latvian officials and experts. He expressed his hope that the students will overcome language barriers upon arriving in China, complete their studies, and integrate into various fields of China-Latvia cooperation to play an important role.
On behalf of the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia, Ievina thanked China for its long-term support and assistance to Latvia's education and training sector. She pointed out that China has a vast territory, rapid economic development, and advanced technology, and she hoped that the Latvian students would cherish this opportunity, study diligently, and make significant contributions to building a bridge of friendship between Latvia and China.
This year, the Latvian students will attend more than 20 universities, including Tsinghua University and the China University of Political Science and Law, to study Chinese or pursue degrees in over 10 majors, including Chinese language, management, finance, economics and trade, tourism, media, and diplomacy.
