Student to study links with Shanghai

A university of Otago student will travel to Shanghai to examine the city's links with Dunedin after being chosen as a recipient of the Prime Minister's Scholarships for Asia.

Jeremy O'Connor was one of seven Otago University students awarded the scholarships as part of its March round.

The awards ceremony was held in Wellington this week.

Mr O'Connor said he was ''ecstatic'' to be chosen as he had always been interested in China and its economy.

As part of the scholarship he would go to Shanghai Summer School at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics in June and explore Dunedin's sister-city relationship with Shanghai.

He would present a report to the Dunedin City Council when he returned from the trip in July.

The trip coincided with the 25th anniversary of the sister-city relationship.

Fellow Otago University student Kate Preston was ''stoked'' after getting a scholarship to go to Korea to continue her economics and business papers.

''Korea's economic development is especially interesting to me, so I want to learn as much as I can,'' she said.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said the scholarships, announced by Prime Minister John Key at a function at Parliament on Monday, enabled more New Zealanders to gain a deeper understanding of countries which were crucial to New Zealand's future.

''New Zealanders need the skills, knowledge and experience to prosper in the global economy, and in particular with our key trading partners in Asia,'' Mr Joyce said.