On 16th December 2019,Consul General Fei Mingxing attended the launching ceremony of the first Luban Workshop in South Africa at Ritson campus of Durban University of Technology (DUT). About 200 guests from sci-tech and education sectors attended the ceremony and toured Luban Workshop's labs.

Fei Mingxing made following remarks at the ceremony:

Hon Kwazi Mshengu, MEC for Education of KwaZulu Natal Province,
Vice Chancellor Prof Thandwa Mathembu and Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof Sibusiso Moyo, Durban University of Technology,
Deputy Director General Mr Bai Haili, Tianjin Municipal Commission for Education,
President and Professor Liu Bin, Tianjin Vocational Institute,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

Having heard remarks of other guests, I feel more than assured that today, 16 December 2019, shall be remembered as a historic day for Durban University of Technology (DUT) and Tianjin Vocational Institute (TVI), and a historic day for KwaZulu Natal Province (KZN) as well as China-South Africa cooperation. My warmest congratulations on the launching of Luban Workshop at DUT, the first ever in South Africa (SA).

In September 2018, at the opening ceremony of 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Xi Jinping announced that China will set up 10 Luban Workshops in Africa to offer vocational training for young Africans. Commitment is a commitment. So said so done.Six months later, in March 2019, the first Luban Workshop in Africa was opened in Djibouti and more were committed for Egypt, Madagascar and other countries including SA. The launching today reassures the world once again that China honours its commitment as always.

As a Chinese saying goes, "Give a man a fish, for a day. Teach a man to fish, for a lifetime." Luban Workshop teaches how to fish. Since its inception, Luban Workshop has registered amazing progress. In Thailand, the past 3 years has seen over a thousand young boys and girls trained in the first Luban Workshop out of China and the demand for its trainees increasing. With over 29% of labour force out of work and one third of its population younger than 15 years old, South Africa is facing an uphill road for employment and poverty reduction. As comprehensive strategic partner of South Africa, China has been exploring for possibilities of assistance. I'm pleased to see DUT and TVI coming up with the great idea of Luban Workshop, for vocational training empowers young people who are the future of the nation.

This Luban Workshop is a present of goodwill of China to South Africa. More importantly it's a joint venture of vision for the shared future of China-South Africa community, for which we all are obliged to make it a success.

President Xi once said, "plants with strong roots grow and efforts with sharp focus succeed."May I call all stakeholders be cooperative, focused and innovative, to see that the Luban Workshop at DUT be in full operation sooner, train as many young people as possible and set a good example for China and South Africa cooperation projects.

Thank you.