The image shows the online launching ceremony of Huawei's "Seeds for the Future" program held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Dec. 14, 2020. Huawei has launched the fifth edition of its "Seeds for the Future" corporate social responsibility program in Sri Lanka, which will see local students receive training in China, a statement said here Tuesday. (Huawei Sri Lanka/Handout via Xinhua)

 
Huawei has launched the fifth edition of its "Seeds for the Future" corporate social responsibility program in Sri Lanka, which will see local students receive training in China, a statement said here Tuesday.

A statement by Huawei said 16 Sri Lankan students from 10 universities and five provinces were selected to receive training in the ICT industry and gain first-hand experience of Huawei's latest technologies in China.

The program was launched in a special ceremony with the attendance of Minister of Education G.L. Peiris, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, and Huawei Sri Lanka CEO Liang Yi.

"It is commendable that a global ICT company such as Huawei has come forward to develop the ICT talent in Sri Lanka and that it has been carried out as a continuous program for the development of our youth with the latest technologies," Peiris said.

"Talents are the most treasured resource for a country's sustainable development, and digital skills are an essential part of a country's development strategies. Overseas Chinese companies should fulfill their social responsibility for ICT knowledge transferring," Qi said.

Liang pledged to strengthen cooperation with Sri Lankan universities and attract more students to the study program.

Huawei's first "Seeds for the Future" program in Sri Lanka was launched in 2016 with 40 students receiving practical experience in the company's headquarters in Shenzhen, China.