City university to welcome Mexican students

The Mexican government plans to send 200 students to China this year through a government-backed education program.

The students will pursue bachelor or master's degrees at 13 universities in China, including Shanghai University.

They will major in subjects that include tourism management, e-commerce, robotics manufacturing and big data. Mexico lacks talent in these fields while China is a leader in these fields, said Zhou Yong, chief executive officer of the China Campus Network.

He told Shanghai Daily that CCN’s cooperation with the Mexican government began last year when 50 Mexican students arrived to major in tourism management at Shanghai University and e-commerce at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province. Fees were covered by the Mexican government and the universities.

The aim of the project, said Zhou, is to build bridges, and the students would serve to promote cultural exchanges, fair trade and the tourism industry between the two countries.

The students are required to spend one year studying Chinese language, history and culture.  

This is of vital importance, according to Andres Diaz Bedolla, CEO of CCN Mexico.

He said when he came to study in Shanghai about 10 years ago, he had to study Chinese by himself, four hours in the morning and four hours in the afternoon.

“If you really want to understand China, you must learn Chinese,” he said.

Some of the first batch of Mexican students told Shanghai Daily that they felt a lot in common between the two countries, including hardworking people, traditional family concepts and ways of writing.

David Ayala, who is studying tourism management at Shanghai University, said he hopes to bring more Chinese tourists to Mexico after he finishes his studies. Roberto Garza, who is studying e-commerce in Xi'an, said he came to China to study because he had been greatly impressed by how efficient Alibaba is.

Zhu Jinping, deputy secretary-general of CCN, said some Mexican students had started up businesses in Shanghai to promote their national food, the avocado.

China has been Mexico's second-largest trade partner, after the United States, for several years.