On October 30, 2021, the Consulate General of China in Penang held the On-line Awarding Ceremony of “Scholarship and Bursary Program 2021 by the Chinese Consulate General in Penang”. Chinese Consul General Mr. Lu Shiwei attended the ceremony and delivered a speech. Nearly 120 people including 50 students who were awarded the scholarships and their parents, boards of directors, and school principles from 17 schools, attended the event.

Consul General Mr. Lu Shiwei stated that the “Scholarship and Bursary Program 2021 by the Chinese Consulate General in Penang” is a program offered to Chinese-learning students in the four states of the consular district, and these students are Malaysian citizens who belong to various ethnicities in Malaysia. The program is established for the first time this year and Chinese Consulate General in Penang will try to make it a annually regular program in the future. The purposes of this program is to promote Chinese education and cultural exchanges between China and Malaysia in the consular district, to help outstanding and poor students complete their studies smoothly, and to encourage everyone to study hard and make progress every day to be well prepared for a future of significant accomplishments and also the successors and torchbearers of China-Malaysia friendship.

Consul General Mr. Lu Shiwei stated that Malaysia has the most complete and highest quality Chinese education system outside China. In recent years, more and more schools in the four states of the consular district have established sister schools relationships with their counterparts in China, and more and more Malaysian students have pursued further studies in Chinese universities. All these achievements are not only conforming to the trend of the times, but also reflect the empathy and the close bonds between the two peoples promoted by cultural exchanges between China and Malaysia.

Consul General Mr. Lu Shiwei emphasized that one must learn about the excellent traditional Chinese culture and understand China’s history and its modernization while learning Chinese. The students should have firm belief in China’s bright future. China’s development brings new opportunities to various countries including Malaysia, and will also bring new opportunities for cultural and educational exchanges and cooperation between China and Malaysia in the post-COVID-19 era. Students are welcome to study in China in the future. It is hoped that everyone will continue to work hard in learning Chinese and use the language well, become torchbearers and promoters of China-Malaysia friendship, and let the China-Malaysia friendship be passed on from generation to generation.

During the exchange, the representatives of the schools thanked Chinese Consulate General for its continuous concern and support for Chinese education in the consular district, and expressed their appreciation to the Consulate General for establishing the first scholarship and bursary program even in the COVID-19 pandemic. They hoped that Chinse Consulate General will continue to provide more resources and support for Malaysian youths to learn Chinese. Some representatives of the students who won the scholarships also shared their knowlege and pride of being able to learn Chinese and use Chinese in their speeches. Two students of non-ethnic-Chinese origin shared their efforts and gains in learning Chinese, and expressed that they will continue to work hard in learning Chinese, and strive to become the emissaries of friendship between Malaysia and China.