11/08/2025
Mayor John Charuk Siafa, full Speech at the Chinese Scholarship Reception Program.
Your Excellency Yin Chengwu,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Liberia, Distinguished officials of the Chinese Embassy, Government Officials
Our brilliant scholarship recipients,
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good evening.
It is with deep honor and joy that I join you this evening to celebrate a milestone in the lives of outstanding young Liberians — the beneficiaries of the Monrovia–Guizhou International Scholarship Program and all other scholarships offered by the People’s Republic of China.
First, allow me to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the People’s Republic of China for its unwavering commitment to education, people-to-people exchange, and mutual development. Your enduring friendship with Liberia, nurtured over decades, continues to bear fruit in ways that transform lives and strengthen our shared future.
To His Excellency Ambassador Yin Chengwu and your team, thank you for opening the doors of opportunity for our young people. Your efforts go far beyond diplomacy; they touch the very heart of our communities and invest in our nation’s most precious asset — our human capital.
I must also recognize the Guizhou Province, whose leadership and institutions have embraced Monrovia as a sister city. Through this scholarship program, you have shown that the bond between our city and province is not just ceremonial, but grounded in real cooperation, real investment, and real opportunities for growth.
To our 47 scholarship recipients under the study in Guizhou international scholarship program and all other scholarship recipients here , this evening we celebrate you. You are about to embark on a journey that will challenge your intellect, broaden your horizons, and shape your character. You are more than students — you are ambassadors of Liberia. When you arrive in Guizhou and all other locations in the People’s Republic of China , you will carry with you the warmth, resilience, and pride of our people. In your classrooms, you will learn; in your interactions, you will teach; and in your achievements, you will inspire.
I urge you to seize every opportunity, embrace the culture and language, and build lifelong friendships. Your time in China will be more than academic — it will be an exchange of values, dreams, and possibilities. And when you return, you will bring back knowledge, skills, and perspectives that will contribute to building a stronger, more prosperous Liberia.
This evening , as we celebrate this partnership, we also recommit ourselves to deepening the bond of friendship between Monrovia and Guizhou, between Liberia and China. These scholarship programs is a bridge — and together, we will continue to walk across it, hand in hand, towards mutual progress and shared prosperity.
In closing, let me remind you, our dear students: you are the living proof that cooperation between nations can change lives. Go forth with courage, humility, and excellence. The City of Monrovia, the people of Liberia, and indeed your families are proud of you.
Thank you, and I wish you every success in this exciting new chapter of your lives.
Xie Xie.
