RIYADH: A group of Saudi and Chinese students laid the foundation stone of the Saudi-Chinese Friendship Park here yesterday, hours before Chinese President Hu Jintao wrapped up his three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia.
Hu left for Mali yesterday on the first leg of a four-nation African tour.
“This friendship park project, with educational value, will underline the existing deep-rooted Saudi-Sino relations,” said Nasser Al-Qarni, a spokesman of the Ministry of Education.
“This park, in the course of time, would become one of the elements of the King Abdullah International Gardens in Riyadh,” added Al-Qarni.
He pointed out that the King Abdullah Gardens is designed to become a world-leading focus of understanding the process, consequence and study of climate change. The designers hope to educate visitors about the process and consequences of resource depletion and human-wrought climate change as well as the benefits of preserving earth’s bounties.
Referring to the park project, Al-Qarni said 27 students, including 12 from China, participated in the foundation laying of the park at a brief but colorful ceremony. Many high-ranking Saudi and Chinese officials and diplomats attended the event.
Yahya bin Abdul Kareem Al-Zaid, Saudi ambassador to China, said Riyadh and Beijing had forged closer ties in the fields of culture and education. He pointed out that the King Abdullah Scholarship Program had sponsored a total of 147 Saudi students so far to study in China.
“Exchanging students is a way to better understand each other; and can promote cultural and educational communication,” said Al-Zaid. “By next year, we want to double the number of students from Saudi Arabia to China.”
He pointed out that 50 Chinese students were chosen late last year for enrollment in the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and King Saud University.
The diplomat said more than 400 Saudi students would be on the rolls of the Chinese colleges and universities in a year from now.
