The visit by Mr Liu coincided with the opening of parliament.
Mr Liu used the opportunity to recommit the Chinese government to its long relationship with the institution. The books, most of which are written in Mandarin and English, comprised of dictionaries, storybooks, profiles about Chinese cities and towns, and some wide range of topics.
Speaking during the handover, Mr Liu, announced that the Chinese government intended to build 100 schools in impoverished areas. He said the deputy minister of education in China would soon pay a visit to South Africa.
Mr Liu said more than 3000 Chinese students are studying at South African institutions of higher learning and the ""numbers are still increasing"".
""The standards are high here (S.A.) and the fees are low compared to other countries,"" said Mr Liu. He mentioned that Unisa already has two Chinese language lecturers while Stellenbosch has one. Dr Marcus Balintulo, Interim Vice-Chancellor, promised that the CPUT would follow suit in their steps by offering Chinese classes.
Dr Balintulo thanked the Chinese government for ""this wonderful gesture"". He said the institution viewed this as the cementing of relationships. ""The relations between South Africa and China goes back to the liberation struggle,"" he said.
Both former technikons (Cape and Peninsula) developed relations with China some time ago.
Dr Balintulo mentioned that three years ago the Cape Town campus had an exhibition of 23 Chinese Universities. ""On the Bellville side, during the graduation ceremonies, five Chinese students graduated at Masters level. Problems around language will be sorted out,"" he promised.
Caption:
Cutting the ribbon...Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, Mr Guijin Liu, and CPUT's Interim Vice Chancellor, Dr Marcus Balintulo.
