In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), “Xi’s Quotes”, a column of People’s Daily Online, and “Voice of Overseas Students”, the new media studio of Huaqiao University (HQU), co-produce exclusive interview videos with Indonesian student Mei Lisa White (Chinese name: Bai Jiajia), and Thai student Pairat Taweepornsawan (Chinese name: Xia Mingxiang), both majoring in HQU Chinese language and culture education. They talk about the impact of the BRI initiative on their own countries and their understanding of President Xi Jinping’s quotes of classics. These videos are being promoted on the overseas official website of People’s Daily Online, drawing wide attention from netizens both at home and abroad.

In the video “Xi’s Quotes | Sugarcane and lemongrass grow in dense clumps” (Supervisor: Wang Yi), Baijia’s shared her understanding of President Xi Jinping’s reference to the Indonesian proverb “Sugarcane and lemon grass grow in dense clump” at the 17th G20 Summit in 2022. “The BRI has brought many development opportunities to Indonesia. It has strengthened my belief that only unity and coexistence can lead to win-win cooperation.” Having studied at HQU for five years, she has served as a bridge between China and Indonesia, promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Another video“Xi’s Quotes | You reap what you sow” (Supervisor: HuoQianyu) recounts Xia Mingxiang’s gains from the proverb “You reap what you sow”, a Thai classic quoted by President Xi Jinping at the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting Bangkok, 2022. “I believe it also implies that the seeds of friendly exchanges sowed by the Thai and Chinese people will sprout, grow and bear fruits of mutual development and prosperity for the two countries”.He has returned to his hometo wn Dafu, Thailand, to become a Chinese language teacher after graduation in June this year from HQU. “I want to continue to sow the seeds of learning Chinese language,” he said, “I hope that with my efforts, more and more students can come to China to learn Chinese, so that the ties between two countries can become even closer.”

With the improvement of its influence and reputation, HQU’s “Voice of Overseas Students” has been invited to various events hosted by People’s Daily Online, including the online themed publicity and interactive guidance activity for the ideological and political course “Writing the Splendor of Youth on the Land of Our Motherland” and the China Internet Civilization Conference. It has also cooperated with People’s Daily Online to shoot serial videos, such as “New Erain China” and “Hello, Carbon Neutrality | The Journey of Carbon Discovery with International Students of Huaqiao University”, with several original videos being reposted and getting over a million views.

“Xi’s Quotes” Exclusive Interview with HQU Students

（Editor: Wei Linying）