At the Global Civilization Dialogue's Ministerial Meeting, Kenyan student Jamlick Kariuki recounted a heartfelt moment from 2023: 40 Kenyan peers penned a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping to mark the Belt and Road Initiative's (BRI) 10th anniversary. The letter, shared during the event's "Story Sharing" session, included a symbolic train ticket reflecting the initiative's role in connecting continents.
Kariuki, studying at Beijing Jiaotong University, emphasized how BRI scholarships enabled Kenyan youth to access advanced engineering education in China. "The train ticket represented our journey—not just across borders, but toward shared knowledge," he told attendees. The students credited BRI with fostering cross-cultural understanding and creating opportunities for African students to contribute to infrastructure development in their home countries.
This story underscores BRI's evolving focus on "people-to-people connectivity," a theme reiterated at the dialogue. Analysts note that educational exchanges under the initiative have grown 18% annually since 2018, with over 80,000 African students currently studying in China through related programs.
