About 25 Liberians working at the Ministries of Justice and Labor were expected to depart the country on June 10 for Beijing. They are expected to participate in a one-month capacity building seminar titled "Seminar on Cooperative Legal System Construction for Senior Management Personnel."

Liberians and Chinese Embassy officials at the reception dinner

The Chinese government is organizing the seminar through its University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), a renowned higher education institution of learning and among the Chinese "Project 211" top universities in the country.

Speaking at a reception dinner last Thursday, China Embassy Commercial Counselor Li Jiang told the gathering about the friendly China-Liberia relationship, which has grown from strength to strength over the years.

China-Aid projects over the last decade have helped change the infrastructure of the former war-ravaged country, with Liberians hailing the bilateral ties between Liberia and the People's Republic of China.

Counselor Li explained that most China-Aid projects in the country had already been completed, with the Ministerial Complex and airport new terminal completion expected soon.

He disclosed that China is currently planning a range of new projects that will improve economic development, adding that China is looking at new collaboration opportunities with Liberia.

The Chinese Commercial Counselor said that China had provided several opportunities for youth and officials to take part in training in China, with the number of people reaching about 1,000 over the last five years.

He indicated that more opportunities for training in China would be provided this year, and expressed optimism that in the future, China would strengthen its building capacity and the scale of China-Aid in Liberia.

Liberia's Assistant Courts Administrator, Ernestine Morgan-Awar, said access to justice is vital to Liberia, and the government has had meetings in the country's legal sector to enhance service delivery to the people. She noted that the seminar serves as an opportunity for participants to make an impact in their country.

For his part, John Allen of the Ministry of Justice expressed gratitude to China for another opportunity given to the people of Liberia in terms of capacity development.

Mr. Allen challenged personnel going for the training to make an impact upon their return to the country, adding that they should take the training seriously and bring the lessons they learn back to Liberia.