BEIJING, China – President Xi Jinping has urged his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali to “trust and count on each other” as they held talks aimed at strengthening their bilateral relationship.
Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali (left) is greeted by China’s President, Xi Jinping, ahead of their bilateral talks (DPI Photo)Ali, is leading a delegation on an official visit to the Asian country, and President Xi called for a more “close-knit China-Guyana” community with a shared future
He said China stands ready to support Guyana’s development path, strengthen communication and cooperation, and advance bilateral relations and is also willing to deepen the alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and Guyana’s Low-carbon Development Strategy 2030.
President Xi said China is encouraging companies there to invest in Guyana and expand cooperation in areas such as energy, mining, finance, agriculture, fisheries and infrastructure construction.
Trade between Guyana and China has been steadily increasing over the past few years and at the end of 2022, bilateral trade in goods was estimated at US$1.88 billion up from US$265 million in 2018, making Guyana, the largest trading partner with China within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping.
In his remarks, President Xi congratulated Guyana on being elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2024-2025 term, reiterating that Beijing supports Georgetown in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs.
President Xi said his country is also willing to work with Guyana to “practice true multilateralism, safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and jointly address global challenges such as climate change, food security and energy security.”
He said Beijing will also work with the 15-member CARICOM grouping to build a closer community with a shared future.
In his response, President Ali said Guyana firmly adheres to the one-China principle and “highly admires” President Xi’s “outstanding leadership, and values China’s international influence”.
Under the one-China policy, Beijing says there is only one sovereign state under the name China, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) serving as the sole legitimate government of that China. Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province and as an inalienable part of China.
Ali said China has played an important role in the economic and social development of Guyana and the Caribbean region, not only by sharing its experience but also providing valuable assistance in developing infrastructure, connectivity, healthcare and other areas.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Hugh Hilton Todd, met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Chengdu,.
A statement issued after the deliberations said they “discussed several areas of cooperation toward advancing the bilateral relations between Guyana and China”.
