Overseas civil servants receive training in political, social systems at academy

James Kur Muorwel said confidence in the future is the most important thing he will take back to his home country following his participation in a training program about China's system of governance.

Muorwel, the director of Asian and Australian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in South Sudan, was one of 192 civil servants from 35 countries who visited Beijing this month to study the latest developments in China's political and social systems at the Chinese Academy of Governance.

Previously stationed in Sweden and Norway, Muorwel had never visited China before.

"It's the first time I have been to China. The country's development is truly unbelievable. More important, China has not hesitated to share its experiences with the rest of the world," he said while displaying a painting of a panda he had just completed with a brush and ink.

Yang Keqin, deputy director of the government-funded academy, said since the training programs began in 2000, more than 8,500 administrators and diplomats from 159 countries have participated in the courses, which are designed to help people understand the "real China".

Established in 1994, the academy is important in training senior and middle-level civil servants, along with high-level administrators and policy researchers. It also is a center for research, particularly studies related to theories of public administration and innovation in government administration.

In recent years, training programs for foreign administrators have become increasingly popular, especially among those from developing countries. Every year, the academy organizes about 50 classes for 3,000 foreign civil servants to meet the rising demand for information about the latest developments in China and the secrets of the country's success, according to Liu Hongyi, director of the academy's training center.

"Many trainees are asked to brief their own country's leaders about the things they learned at the academy," he said.

Each training program lasts between two and three weeks, and includes lectures, seminars in Beijing and field trips to other cities so the trainees can see different parts of the country.

Before the students arrive in China, the academy designs courses to meet each country's specific requirements. For example, the latest Cuban course mainly focuses on structural reform of government because that is the topic most in demand among the country's trainees, Liu Gang, deputy director of the academy's training center, said.