China becomes popular destination for African students

BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- When Tanzanian student Fathiya Mohamed Said was a child, she learned that China sent medical teams to aid her home country, inspiring her dream of becoming a doctor.

On April 6, 1963, China dispatched its first medical team from Beijing to Algeria. Many groups of Chinese doctors have since worked in Africa, offering much-needed medical aid and services to residents of various countries.

Driven by her dream, Fathiya traveled to east China's Jiangsu Province in 2019 to major in medicine and surgery at Jiangsu University.

"The Chinese medical teams' selflessness and service to humanity inspire me a lot, and I aspire to become a pediatric oncologist when I graduate and go back to Tanzania," the 25-year-old said.

During a recent internship at a Jiangsu hospital, Fathiya received many words of encouragement from Chinese patients and their families. "It's these small but meaningful interactions that reveal the deep warmth and friendliness found in Chinese culture, leaving a lasting impact on those who experience it," she said.

China not only provides learning opportunities to African students, she noted, but also a living environment that allows them to gain a comprehensive understanding of the country. "We are able to experience the blend of ancient culture and cutting-edge innovation here at the same time," she said, adding that she plans to continue being an active participant in the promotion of China-Africa relations.

And Fathiya is not alone in her determination. A total of 4,061 people from Africa are current students or graduates of Jiangsu University, accounting for 44.34 percent of the university's total number of international students.

Wu Peng, dean of the Overseas Education College of Jiangsu University, said that the university has signed high-level university teacher-training agreements under the Belt and Road Initiative with more than 40 African universities since 2020, and it has admitted 83 doctoral students from African countries.

Appiah Jeffrey Korankye is another African student studying in China. The 22-year-old Ghanaian moved to east China's Shandong Province in 2023 to major in architecture at Rizhao Polytechnic, which commenced vocational education cooperation with African countries in 2021.

He said the cooperation opens more opportunities for young Africans -- Ghanaians in particular -- to travel to China to learn about Chinese technology. The cooperation is a model that other African countries can emulate to boost their economies and development, he added.

In June, he won third prize at an event held as a qualification competition for the 2024 Belt &Road and BRICS skills development and technology innovation competition. He said that he hopes to bring the expertise he has gained back to Africa to help Ghana improve the efficiency of its infrastructure construction and promote the development of related industries.

"Studying in China offers a unique cultural experience. China has an amazing history, especially in architecture. As a student of architecture, it has been amazing to get to learn first-hand history and immerse myself in one of the oldest and richest histories in the world."

He was also impressed by China's convenient transportation, online shopping, mobile payment system and safe living environment, he said.

Located in central China's Hunan Province, Central South University is the university with the largest number of African students in the province. A total of 372 African students are currently enrolled there, majoring in such fields as civil engineering, transportation engineering, nursing and public health, said Xiang Xueyong, vice dean of the university's School of International Education.

The university arranges for African students to participate in sports and competitions, including dragon dance, dragon boat and soccer activities, Xiang said.

He noted that the university also explores career development opportunities for its international students. In recent years, for example, it has signed agreements on the joint cultivation of international students with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, nurturing 83 international students from Nigeria and Ethiopia to date.