Generous Chinese Scholarship for Southeast Asian Woman Sparks Local Criticism

Netizens direct anger at authorities for prioritizing foreigners over Chinese

A group of students from all over the world and who attend The United World College of Hong Kong, pose for a group picture during a cultural performance designed to raise awareness of Human Rights in Hong Kong, 10 December 2004. MIKE CLARKE/AFP/Getty Images

A woman from Timor-Leste, a small island country in Southeast Asia, is studying chemistry in eastern China on a government-sponsored scholarship.

After she sang China’s praises in an interview for giving her enough money to not only study in China but also support her family back home, many Chinese saw it as a reflection of deep social injustices caused by the communist authorities.