Young scientists and guests pose for a group photo during a send-off ceremony hosted by the Chinese embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, April 30, 2019. A group of seven young South African scientists will soon start spending time at China's leading technology institutions, conducting research with Chinese scientists for 6 to 12 months. The seven scientists benefited from the South Africa-China Young Scientist Exchange Program signed by the two countries in 2017 to give young researchers from both countries an opportunity to share knowledge and develop skills. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

PRETORIA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A group of seven young South African scientists will soon start spending time at China's leading technology institutions, conducting research with Chinese scientists.

The Chinese embassy in Pretoria on Tuesday hosted a send-off ceremony for the scientists who would spend 6 to 12 months in China. The seven scientists benefited from the South Africa-China Young Scientist Exchange Program signed by the two countries in 2017 to give young researchers from both countries an opportunity to share knowledge and develop skills.

Nokuthula Mchunu from the Agricultural Research Council who would be doing her research on the engineering of enzymes for industrial technology at Tianjin University of Technology said this is a great opportunity.

"In science, you don't grow in a silo, you're more likely to grow in collaborations. They (Chinese scientists) have more capacity and resources. The important thing is the human relation, if we get continuous relationships with the Chinese collaborators, it would be great," she told Xinhua.

Another scientist Dr Lizelle van Dukes said that she was "excited to be exposed to this opportunity to grow" and that she would be keen to collaborate with Chinese scientists.

"China is one of the leading countries in the fourth industrial revolution and we can't go alone, we want to work with South Africa," said Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Lin Songtian.