KATHMANDU, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nepali students who have studied in China are capable manpower who can highly contribute to the country's vision of "Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali," Nepali Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel said here on Wednesday.

The minister made such remarks at the fifth gathering of Nepali students who have studied in China, which was organized by the Chinese Embassy in Nepal and Nepal China Cultural and Educational Council. The event was attended by around 400 Nepalis who have studied in different Chinese universities.

"I am thankful to China for supporting us in the production of skilled human resources who can contribute in the development of the country," the minister said, adding that Nepal needs to learn a lot from China especially in science and technology sector.

He also took the occasion to inform that the ministry will soon introduce the Chinese language course in Nepali universities due to its growing demand and popularity.

Addressing the gathering, Chinese ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong said that more than 6,000 Nepali students have studied in China till date, while the Chinese government has increased the number of scholarship program in recent years.

"I believe that the cooperation in education field has resulted in the production of skilled manpower who can contribute in the economic and social development of the country," Yu said.

She further said that the Nepali students who have studied in China can act as goodwill ambassadors to boost the bilateral ties between the two countries.

On the occasion, the participants shared their educational experiences and appreciated the Chinese education system and cultural richness.

"China is doing remarkable progress in information technology. With the Chinese education, I have been able to run a software company with over 100 staffs today," Gaurav Pandey, the founder of a software company who studied computer engineering in China, said.

Dr. Diwakar Sharma, head of the Cardiology Department at National Heart Center said that Nepali students who have studied medicines in China are doing remarkable performance in Nepali hospitals and health institutes.

According to the Nepal China Cultural and Educational Council, Nepali students started studying in China from 1957.