Foreigners look over a variety of publications on China's economic development during the 19th CPC National Congress on October 16. Photo: IC

Tianjin Municipality hosted three briefing sessions on the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for foreigners who were keen to know China better.

The three briefing sessions held this month in the northern Chinese city were applauded by foreign participants, who included foreign experts, overseas students, foreign businesspeople and people from foreign organizations.

Jay S. Siegel, dean of the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology at Tianjin University, was pleased that his school's foreign faculty was invited to the briefing.

"We think it is important to know about the Party congress because it laid out the policy where China wants to go in the next five years," he said.

Siegel said more than half of the faculty at the school are foreigners.

"We could encounter troubles if we don't know policies concerning China's higher education," he said.

One briefing session was held at Siegel's school. Feng Coiling, Party secretary of the school, introduced reports and documents from the congress and shared her impressions of the October congress, which she attended as a delegate.

Robert Boris, vice dean of the school, said he appreciated that Feng was supportive of not only the local faculty but also the international faculty.

Du Yuneec, deputy headmaster of the school, said foreign teachers and students are keen to learn about the important national event. While the week-long congress was still underway the school prepared 300 copies of the report delivered at the opening session.

"They were all gone in an instant," he said.

Thepkanchana Thepkaew, a doctoral student from Thailand at Tianjin Normal University, said she was interested in the briefing because Thailand is located along theBelt and Road.

"I want to know how the initiative proposed by China will be pushed forward in the future, so I came to Feng's briefing," she said.

Congress message 'resonates'

Briefing sessions on the spirit of the landmark congress which outlines China's roadmap for future development have been held nationwide.

Two of the presenters at the Tianjin sessions spoke in English as they shared their understanding of the spirit of the congress with the foreign audience.

Zhang Yuzhuo, Party secretary of Tianjin Binhai New Area, delivered a speech to dozens of business elites from foreign enterprises and shared what he learned as a delegate to the Party congress.

Zhang, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, had worked as chair of China's leading coal producer Shenhua Group before becoming the Party chief in Tianjin Binhai New Area in March this year. At the lecture, he talked about the Party congress and shared his thoughts on local development.

After listening to Zhang's speech, Reinaldo Costa, vice president of Novo Nordisk Company, said the CPC's goal of "improving people's quality of life" resonates with his company's mission.

Costa said China has become more open over the past five years, with a slew of new policies to make things more convenient for foreigners living in China, such as new work permit procedures introduced in April.

Costa said he and his colleagues have benefited from the reform.

Although Yan Chunhua, vice president of Nankai University and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences shared his understanding of the policies from the congress, which he did not attend, to an audience of more than 200 people from 70 countries and regions.

Mohamed Jihad Mohamed Moustafa, an overseas student from Egypt, said he learned about the development of science and technology in China through Yan's talk on policies highlighted at the congress.

The Egyptian student hopes to learn about China's mobile payment system and set one up in his home country.

Foreign participants said the briefings gave them a deeper understanding of the direction of China's development and were now more confident in continuing their careers and studies in the country.

"I know that China is continuing to comprehensively deepen reform and ensuring that every dimension of governance is law-based. All those things are reassuring the confidence of investors, not just from the US but in general," said Martin Winchell, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China in Tianjin.

"Having a strong, stable government is absolutely central to reaching the goals," said Vice Dean Boris.

Newspaper headline: ‘New era’ explained