The Chinese government must provide more financial support to children in China’s poorer western areas to help them fulfill their "China Dream," said Zheng Qiang, an NPC deputy and president of Guizhou University after the third plenary meeting of the first session of the 12th National People's Congress on March 10, 2013. Guizhou University is located in western China.

"The educational divide between eastern and western China is so vast that it goes beyond my imagination," Zheng said while explaining the on-the-ground circumstances in western China after assuming the post years ago and leaving Zhejiang University, a renowned university on China’s east coast. Western universities’ basic operations, academic talent and innovation levels lag far behind their eastern counterparts, Zheng said.

Zheng said he was pleased to find out that public spending on education in Guizhou surpassed six percent of provincial GDP in 2012, two percentages higher than the central government target of four percent. Zheng still hopes that the central government will invest more on education in western China, rather than focusing on traditional industries like highway and rail construction. "Universities in western China need preferential policy support, or else students there do not possess sufficient self-confidence," Zheng said. "Graduates from these universities already face discrimination in today’s job market."

With regards to Chinese scientific innovation, Zheng said pre-university education should provide students with a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy their studies. "More efforts are needed to improve our current education system," he summarized.

Zheng rose to celebrity status after criticizing China’s current education system and social policies. It has been reported that while giving a four-hour speech, he was interrupted by applause 150 times, and was given the nickname "Brother Strong" by his online supporters.

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