The United Kingdom and China Wednesday celebrated here the 30th anniversary of the PCL Exchange Program, one of the longest running and most successful Sino-UK educational partnership.

At the celebration, following works and videos were shown -- Westminster Exchange Students' life in China, Chinese Poster Collection, Nanjing Wall Project, Focus on Guangzhou, Asia-Link Project and Graduate Fashion show.

On the occasion, A Chinese Embassy Special Scholarship for the language teacher was offered to Ms. Vine Juliet Mary Richmond who will go to Beijing Normal University for Chinese language teaching theory training this summer and will take a tour around parts of China. A unilateral scholarship was offered to a candidate recommended by the University of Westminster -- Hammond Darren Paul who will go to China for a year for further improvement of his Chinese.

At the event, Wang Yongda, Education Minister-Counselor, Embassy of the People's Republic of China, and Geoffrey Copland, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, University of Westminster, delivered speeches, both speaking highly of the success of the program.

The PCL (Polytechnic of Central London) exchange program has been carried out by the University of Westminster in UK and partner universities in China since 1977 when Polytechnic of Central London (now the University of Westminster) signed an agreement with Chinese Ministry of Education, starting exchanging students.

Over the past 30 years, more than 400 scholars from different regions across China have received training at the University of Westminster, who are now playing important roles in their workplace, to foster closer Sino-UK relationships in the education field and beyond.

In return, the University of Westminster sent hundreds of Chinese studies students to China to live and study at its Chinese partner universities, to further their Chinese language and culture studies.

The benefit is reciprocal, through years of exchanges, the University of Westminster has become an influential training and research center for Chinese studies in UK.

This year, a total of 46 candidates from the Westminster university will go to China to study or do research while 15 candidates from China will come here to study.

It is joint hope that the PCL program further develops and the two sides carry the cooperation to a higher level, with the aim of fostering more talents and enhancing the mutual understanding of the two peoples.

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2007)