Xiplomacy: Best wishes from Congo to China as new academic year starts

WORK TOGETHER FOR A BRIGHTER CHINA-AFRICA FUTURE

During his state visit to the African country in 2013, Xi and Sassou Nguesso attended the inauguration ceremony of the library of the Marien Ngouabi University and its China Reading Room, during which Xi had talks with Congolese teachers and students.

"President Xi encouraged us to learn Chinese well," said Le Roy, who has been studying at the Confucius Institute for almost a year.

He told Xinhua that he wanted to send his greetings as a gift to the children at the primary school. "I wish them a bright future," he said. "I also want to make friends with them and open up new chapters for China-Africa cooperation."

"President Xi's visit was a real highlight moment and a warm memory to many," said Kanza Leveau, a teacher at the Confucius Institute. "It demonstrates how much he valued talent and educational cooperation."

According to Leveau, the collections at the China Reading Room are expanding constantly. Besides reference books and Chinese language textbooks, four volumes of the French version of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" are also available for readers.

"The future of our country belongs to young people, his in-depth thinking on China's national governance and global governance issues will inspire them significantly," Leveau said.

"I hope our university can play a more prominent role in China-Africa exchanges and cooperation, fostering more Congolese youth who can speak the Chinese language and truly understand China. I also aim to cultivate more talents for our country and the continent through educational cooperation with China," he added.