Chinese ambassador talks with China-trained Jordanian students on bilateral cooperation

Chinese Ambassador to Jordan Chen Chuandong called on Jordanian students to help boost bilateral exchanges and cooperation between China and Jordan.

Chen made his remarks during the 2021 Networking Event with China-trained PhD Students held on Feb 3 via video link.

Representatives of Jordanian students, the economic and commercial office of the Chinese embassy and media outlets from both countries attended the online event.

Chen communicated with the student representatives about China-Jordan common efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening of bilateral pragmatic cooperation, and other issues.

The sudden onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic shocked the world, bringing unprecedented human challenges, said Chen. China and Jordan have worked in solidarity and offered mutual assistance in the fight against pandemic. Jordanian students donated money and supplies and wrote articles to introduce the true anti-pandemic situation, which helped with the fight not only against the real virus but also against the “political virus.”

The pandemic has showed again that mankind is a community of a shared future. No country can be immune from this global crisis, let alone tackle it single-handedly, and international solidarity and cooperation are the right way and the only way to tackle the virus, said Chen.

China will continue to actively participate in international anti-pandemic cooperation, support and engage in global cooperation on vaccines, and promote vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 44 years ago, China and Jordan have seen steady development of bilateral relations and enhanced mutual trust and robust cooperation in various areas, said Chen.

Now China is Jordan’s third largest trading partner and second largest import country. The sudden pandemic has brought negative impact on the two sides’ economic and trade cooperation, but this is just temporary. China and Jordan share profound cooperative potential in such areas as infrastructure, production capacity, communication and new energy, and they have strong mutual complementary economic interests.

Chen said that the two nations should confidently work together to respond to challenges and achieve common development.

The students shared stories of their study experience in China, saying that they had witnessed China’s achievements in economic development and its firm determination and effective measures to fight against the pandemic. They said they are willing to be the envoys and practitioners of China-Jordan friendship and cooperation.

Many of them said they think that the business investment and cultural projects set up in Jordan in recent years, such as the Attarat Power Plant, Aqaba Industrial Estate and the China Cultural Center, boosted the Jordanian economy, employment and cultural exchanges.

They fully recognized the active role of China-Jordan human resources cooperation in boosting their bilateral relationship, and provided advice for the two nations’ efforts to build the Belt and Road and for strengthening pragmatic cooperation in the post-COVID era.

By the end of 2019, more than 2,800 Jordanian government officials, enterprise staff and other people from all walks of life had participated in China's foreign aid training programs.