There’s a need to empower people to change their mindset in the pursuit of a better life, says Chinese ambassador to Fiji Zhou Jian.
He told a media briefing at his residence recently that one way of achieving this was by promoting vocational training.
“Our problem is that many Fijian friends do not save their livelihoods,” he said.
“They are satisfied with where they are, so that is the problem.”
Mr Zhou said a vocational training centre in China has just signed an agreement with a local vocational training centre Nadi.
“Vocational training should be prioritised for cooperation. To provide training for hotel staff, waiters, managers, medical staff, drivers, chefs, nurses and also to provide training courses for farmers to plant vegetables and mushrooms.
“You have the land, you need farmers. You have the sea, you need aquaculture.
“You have hotels, you need staff.”
Mr Zhou said Fiji needed to make use of the Juncao Technology Demonstration Center in Nadi which has so far benefitted 2000 families. He added that a team of rice-planting experts was also based on Vanua Levu.
“We hope to promote the new way of rice planting to increase production per hectare. I think with our joint efforts, it shouldn’t be very difficult for our Fijian villages or Fijian friends to learn a skill, to make use of resources to get a better life.”
