China offers scholarship for Ilocanos

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte, Philippines — Shandong province in China is encouraging Ilocano government workers and students to avail of their language scholarship program as one of the partnership opportunities offered by the China provincial government.

On a follow-up visit and dialogue with the Ilocos Norte Sangguniang Panlalawigan this week, the Chinese delegation from Shandong offered this rare scholarship opportunity for Ilocanos to further enhance ties between Ilocos Norte and Shandong.

Zhang Jigang, head of the delegation and executive vice president of Shandong People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries led four other officials and executives from different foreign affairs agencies on the trip to Ilocos Norte to ensure implementation of the Action Plan signed by the governments of both provinces last April 2017.

Zhang said, one or two from each of Shandong’s sister provinces are annually entitled with scholarships that include academic learning of the Chinese Mandarin language for a year.