Chengdu launches Belt and Road scholarship programs to promote cultural exchange

Educational authorities in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Monday announced a plan for two special scholarship programs in an effort to attract talents from countries along the Belt and Road to study in China.

According to the local government’s official website, the first program, which is called “Belt and Road Initiative Scholarship Scheme,” will be open to international students who are pursuing bachelor, master, or doctoral degrees from one of the Belt and Road countries. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) scholarship program, on the other hand, mainly targets students from Southeastern Asian countries who major in humanities and fine arts.

In addition to students from the countries that are mentioned above, students from European countries and America can also apply for the scholarship, though their quotas are limited to less than 25 percent of the total.

The scholarship will be used to cover foreign students’ cost of living, health insurance, and tuition fees in Chengdu, with a maximum amount of 42,000 RMB ($6,530) per person per year.

Cooperation in science, education, culture, health, and people-to people exchange has helped lay a solid foundation for pursing Belt and Road development. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a keynote speech at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2017 that the Chinese government will provide 10,000 government scholarships to relevant countries, with special Silk Road scholarships set up by local governments.

In addition to Chengdu, many cities and provinces in China have launched their own scholarship program to attract talents from Belt and Road countries. According to Xinhua News Agency, Beijing will award scholarships to students from Belt and Road countries studying in 160 programs at universities in the city by 2020, while the Macao Foundation has set up a program for students who want to study in China’s Macao Special Administrative Region.