On the morning of April 12, the opening ceremony of the first foreign aid training program of 2024 in Shanghai Business School: Seminar on development and governance for Malawi, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and hosted by the MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) of Shanghai Business School, commenced with great success. Chen Wei, the executive vice dean of the College of International Education, Shanghai Business School, and deputy director of the MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai), and Huang Dege, the vice general manager of China MCC5 Group CORP.Ltd. attended the ceremony.
China and Malawi have maintained friendly relations since the diplomatic ties established in 2007. Both sides support and cooperate in international affairs, with frequent high-level visits and increasing political mutual trust. Last August, during the BRICS Leaders Meeting in Johannesburg, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed China's willingness to continue assisting Malawi's economic and social development to the best of its ability and bringing new developments in Sino-Malaysia relations. This seminar aims to share China's experience, significantly Shanghai's, in urban governance, and, assumingly, it facilitates the improvement of Malawi's urban governance and people's quality of life there.
Chen Wei stated that since establishing Sino-Malawi diplomatic relations, both sides have communicated and coordinated well on commonly concerned international or regional issues. For this seminar, SBS fully presents China's advantages and resources, primarily Shanghai's, in urban development and governance through training activities like lectures and on-site visits; Malawi's officials may systematically improve their professional skills and work abilities, enhancing urban development and management in Malawi.
Huang Dege pointed out that, over the past half-century, China has made remarkable achievements in urban construction and governance, simultaneously moving from poverty to a well-off society in all aspects, inseparable from the leadership of the CPC and the reform and opening up policy. He hopes, together with other experts, to share China's development experience, thus enriching officials' understanding so they can better pursue their career path under the blueprint of Malawi's national development.
Kunt Madalo Carlichero, the official representative and the Deputy Director of the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malawi, stated that the fields covered by the seminar are closely related to Malawi's development needs. Malawi hopes to draw experience and find its development path. She noted that the seminar would be a cultural exchange and ideological collusion, an academic exchange event, and a favorable opportunity for further cooperation between China and Malawi.
This 14-day seminar, with a visit to Mount Huangshan City, Anhui Province, includes 27 officials from the Malawi Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Homeland Security, and other departments. Generally, the successful opening of this seminar marks the inauguration of SBS's 2024 foreign aid training programs.
Written by: Liang Bo
Photos by: Li Zheng
Reviewed by: Chen Wei
