BEIJING — "The Chinese government and people are realizing their dreams through commitment, hard work and excellent leadership and China is making miracles and showing them to the world," Mohamed Osman Abdi, a journalist from the Somali National News Agency, said at the joint closing ceremony of the China Africa Press Center and the China Asia Pacific Press Center Program 2019 on Dec 11.

The program was guided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and hosted by the China Public Diplomacy Association.

"The 2019 Media Exchange Program was very useful for us to understand and explore China better and know more about the reality on the ground. My friends from the China-Africa Press Center conveyed messages about China and the productive friendship and cooperation between Africa and China to their respective countries with their pens and cameras," Abdi said.

After visiting more than 10 provincial-level regions in China including Shanxi and Hunan, Abdi and his fellow participants were impressed by the country's amazing achievements and ongoing development projects.

"China is not only developing by itself, it is taking the lion's share of the development of other countries in the world, for example, the Belt and Road Initiative proposed in 2013 to improve connectivity and cooperation on a transcontinental scale has created fruitful results so far," he said.

Abdi also noted that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative offers a great opportunity for Africa to develop its large-scale infrastructure projects.

Mahendra Subedi, an editor from the Nepal National News Agency, also participated in the program.

"China's harmonious society, helpful people, high-quality development, respect for history and modest expectations for the future are things that we should learn from Chinese society," he said.

Noting China's unparalleled achievements made in the past 70 years, Subedi said "this is a great leap forward from a poor country to a global donor and an emerging world power," adding that "This country is a symbol of determination."

The China Africa Press Center and the China Asia Pacific Press Center Program 2019 under the China International Press Communication Center was launched in late February this year, inviting 50 journalists from 49 countries to come to China for professional training.

Over the past five months, reporters from the two centers have received systematic training in news writing and studied Chinese culture and development. They have conducted interviews and published more than 1,000 reports.