Dozens of international students at Nanjing Audit University have received a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping. The students, mostly from developing countries, say they were motivated by the president's response to a letter thanking him for the opportunity to study in China. Huang Yue spoke to some of them.
During the summer vacation, the normally bustling campus of Nanjing Audit University is quiet and serene. Unlike most of his classmates, Theophilus Seeton decides to spend the break travelling in China instead of going back home to Liberia in West Africa.
Working as an audit manager with the General Auditing Commission of Liberia, Theophilus came to study in Nanjing last autumn.
THEOPHILUS SEETON, Liberian Student, Nanjing Audit University Every year, the best person at our side is sent to Nanjing Audit University to study. Normally, the course announcement is sent to our office. And then there's an internal recruitment. And I took advantage of it. I applied and I was fortunate to have been selected.
Theophilus cannot stop raving about the beautiful campus. For him, it's not only the environment, it's the professionalism of the university that makes him cherish the experience of studying here.
THEOPHILUS SEETON, Liberian Student, Nanjing Audit University Since my arrival, I've had the best opportunity to study that I can imagine. The course contents we have here is exceptional. Some of what I have been taught over the past two semesters, I didn't have that knowledge. For example, one of them is the audit of big data. Another one is what we call real-time audit. I learned all these audits here and it has been very rewarding.
HUANG YUE, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province In 2016, China's National Audit Office launched a program and established a scholarship for international students, aiming to cultivate talent in this sector, especially those from developing countries. And Nanjing Audit University has since then been tasked to provide training to students under the program.
The two-year program also provides opportunities for the students to undertake fieldwork in different regions across China – from well-developed cities to underdeveloped rural areas.
Learning how auditing can help in poverty alleviation, Theophilus and his fellow students recently visited the county of Lankao in central Henan Province.
THEOPHILUS SEETON, Liberian Student, Nanjing Audit University We saw how beautiful the environment Lankao looks like, the economic condition of these people, what they use, what they have in order to make their economic condition better. We were really impressed about that. And we also learned that this is not just Lankao alone. There are other areas in China that the policy on poverty alleviation has been a success story.
That was when Theophilus, together with 36 other international students in the program, decided to write a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
THEOPHILUS SEETON, Liberian Student, Nanjing Audit University It was basically to tell the president thank you. Because what we saw in Lankao was extraordinary. We felt that it was a learning possibility for us that we can go back home and advance those recommendations to audit.
SEABELO TUMPANE, Botswana Student, Nanjing Audit University I was the one to deliver the letter to auditor general (of China) and he gave it to the president.
On July 4, President Xi replied to their letter. He said he is happy that the students learned something through the program, and he encouraged them to use the experience to learn about China, and building stronger international ties.
THEOPHILUS SEETON, Liberian Student, Nanjing Audit University We didn't expect a response. We just want to say thanks. But then surprise surprise, we got a response, which was very extraordinary, a very rare case for many of us.
SEABELO TUMPANE, Botswana Student, Nanjing Audit University We were so surprised that the president took his time to read our letter, to respond to our letter. When he did, it's even less than two weeks or three weeks. It's so quick.
DAWIT FIKRU, Ethiopian Student, Nanjing Audit University I'm very honored to hear from him. He's a head of state, and we are international students. This shows his humbleness that he responded to our letter within a short period of time.
A shortage of skilled personnel is a challenge facing many developing countries. Through programs like the one offered by the National Audit Office, China's Belt and Road Initiative provides opportunities to help unskilled technical talent from overseas.
It's also a part of China's efforts to implement the Global Development Initiative which focuses on urgent global issues such as poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and economic development.
LI QIANWEN, Vice President, Nanjing Audit University Most of the students enrolled in this program are working in auditing agencies from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. We've already provided training to more than 280 people.
DONG BIRONG, President, Nanjing Audit University After they graduate and return to their home countries, they bring back China's audit theories and practice. So, this is also a way to contribute Chinese solutions to the auditing systems of countries around the world.
Theophilus is looking forward to sharing what he's learned in China with his colleagues in Liberia.
THEOPHILUS SEETON, Liberian Student, Nanjing Audit University Couple of audit experiences that I've had over the period to take back home to my country. For example, there's an audit that I love so much. That doesn't happen in our country. It's called economic accountability of leading officials. It is the kind of widely done in China that makes the public officials accountable for their decisions. Those kinds of audit are not done in Africa and need to talk about in Liberia.
The traditional Chinese proverb says if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life. Many of Theophilus's predecessors are already more influential role in their countries after finishing the program at Nanjing Audit University. And the young man is also anticipating promising future, not only for himself, but also for his country.
Huang Yue, CGTN, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.
原文链接：https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-07-31/VHJhbnNjcmlwdDczODE5/index.html
