Team leaders from 10 countries compete in skills contest in Yunnan

Sixty-five team leaders from 12 organizations in 10 countries took part in the "China Copper Cup" Comprehensive Management Skills Competition for Local Team Leaders of Overseas Enterprises, held recently in Chuxiong, Yunnan province.

The contestants came from Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, Indonesia, Peru, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mongolia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. They competed in areas central to frontline operations, including workplace safety, environmental protection and on-site management. The events included digital twin exercises, presentations and hands-on skills tests.

The Chinalco Peru team won the team gold medal. "Winning the team gold medal was the result of our whole team working together," said Martin Rivera, a representative of the team. "We will keep striving and help raise the overall capabilities of local teams."

The competition was jointly organized by the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association and the National Committee of the Chinese Machinery, Metallurgical and Building Materials Workers' Union. Aluminum Corporation of China, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Talent Center and China Copper Co Ltd. were co-organizers. Chuxiong Dianzhong Nonferrous Metals Co Ltd, Yunnan Copper Senior Technical School and Chuxiong Technician College organized the event locally.

Alongside the competition, participants visited the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture Museum, the Miyilu Yi Embroidery Workshop, the Yi Ten-Month Solar Calendar Cultural Park and Yiren Ancient Town. They learned about the area's history, including Yuanmou Man and the Wanjiaba bronze drum, and experienced Yi embroidery, a national-level intangible cultural heritage craft, and the Yi people's ten-month solar calendar.

A cultural performance at the closing ceremony featured Yi folk songs, an Afghan folk dance, a Peruvian song-and-dance performance and an African-themed show. "It was a wonderful experience," said Kanute Amang from Papua New Guinea. "I will tell my friends that China is far more than what they see on television. It has a long history and rich cultural traditions. You have to see it in person to truly appreciate it."

Muhammad Yaqub from Pakistan said the event was professionally organized and gave him a rare opportunity to compete and exchange ideas with skilled participants from around the world.

The competition has been held three times since 2023 and follows a model combining pre-event training with competition. Before this year's event, participants trained at four bases in Yantai and Laiwu in Shandong province, Ganzhou in Jiangxi province, and Guangzhou in Guangdong province. The sessions included mock exercises based on the competition's events and a "Chinese plus vocational skills" program to support both job-specific learning and cross-cultural communication.

Zheng Zihang contributed to this story.