Recently, a participant in the Training Program on International Young Talents for "Belt and Road" Countries held by Shanghai Business School on April 25, 2025, Ms. Russell, a journalist from the Bahamas, published an article in The Tribune, the country's highest-circulation print media, documenting her training experience, gains, and reflections. In her article, Russell noted that her first encounters on the streets of Shanghai made her aware of a "misaligned sense of presence": the Baha Mar resort, built with the participation of Chinese workers, stands proudly on the shores of her homeland, while few people on the ground beneath her feet knew of the Bahamas' existence. This cognitive gap became her most profound reflection after participating in the Training Program on International Young Talents for "Belt and Road" Countries. Moreover, this 14,000-kilometer-spanning training not only enabled the journalist, once labeled a "highly sensitive participant," to transition from resistance to integration, but also built an invisible bridge of understanding and cooperation across both sides of the Pacific.
(The article published by Russell in The Tribune, the Bahamas)
During the pre-departure assessment conducted by the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of China in the Bahamas, Russell was identified as a "high-demand participant." This young journalist, who specializes in reporting on the United States, was perceived as particularly sensitive, which placed considerable pressure on the staff handling her case. In a letter of appreciation, the secretary of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of China in the Bahamas candidly admitted, "We were concerned that she might not be able to complete the seminar."
However, the training program's team addressed this "cognitive crisis" through concrete actions. From customized cultural experiences to late-night psychological guidance, from name-engraved participant badges to surprise birthday cakes, the team provided a "multi-to-one" care system that created a safety net for the participants. This style of "precision care" transformed the Embassy's initial concerns into admiration. In the letter of appreciation, the secretary of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of China in the Bahamas wrote: "Both Bahamian participants completed the program, which not only expanded our diplomatic network, but also holds very positive significance for conducting a cognitive and public opinion campaign on China in the Bahamas, breaking the cycle of deeply entrenched negative stereotypes shaped by US and Western media."
(Photo of Russell with the certificate of completion of the training program)
Russell's article in The Tribune serves like a prism, reflecting the deeper value of the foreign-aid training program. In her portrayal, China is both a futuristic city where "self-driving cars coexist with seas of pink flowers" and a distant land "unaware of the Bahamas' existence"; it is both a driving force behind the Bahamas' economic rise and a remote presence "lacking any trace of the Bahamas." This contradictory narrative precisely reveals a common dilemma faced by developing countries in the tide of globalization: how to maintain cultural identity while integrating into the world.
Through the training, she began to understand an alternative approach to the Bahamas' "economic diversification" challenge. While discussing China-Africa cooperation models with African participants, she suddenly realized, "What the Bahamas needs is not just Chinese investment, but a voice that allows the world to see the Bahamas." This cognitive breakthrough was later confirmed during follow-up communications between the Embassy and The Tribune's editor-in-chief, Hunter. Hunter not only promised to publish Russell's observations from China but also proposed launching a dedicated "Caribbean Perspective" column.
From the Embassy's "multi-to-one" care to the participants' "transformative growth," from the media's "implicit bias" to the column's "pioneering emergence," this training, which began in Shanghai, ultimately sent ripples across the Caribbean and the Pacific. As the secretary of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of China in the Bahamas wrote in the letter of appreciation: "You will always be the Embassy's strongest support on the front line." And when participants like Russell begin to build bridges of understanding with their pens, the true value of the training emerges—it demonstrates a simple yet profound truth: in the complexities of globalization, understanding is more precious than aid, and dialogue is more powerful than silence.
Written by: Zhou Dejiang
Photo by: Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of China in the Bahamas, Russell
Reviewed by: Chen Wei
