Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Guyana and China some 40 years ago, there has been a model of growing friendship and cooperation between the two countries, especially over the last 20 years.
China has been particularly generous in providing financial, technical and developmental assistance to our country, supporting some very crucial developmental programmes and projects.
In the field of medicine, China has been sending regular batches of medical experts in various fields who have been most helpful in improving the standard of public health care in our country.
Our state-of-the-art International Conference Centre at Liliendaal has also been a major and prestigious gift to the people of Guyana. This facility has enabled us to host major international events on an increasing scale, raising the global profile of our country.
Currently, China is providing massive technical assistance to our major power utility – the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) to improve its generation capacity and improve the efficiency of service being provided to consumers.
The list of projects China has assisted this country with, over the four decades of diplomatic relations and friendship, is indeed a tall one. And unlike some countries which provide assistance with strings and conditions attached, China has been providing assistance to this country without conditions attached.
Recently, our government found itself in a dilemma with respect to fulfilling the promise of providing one laptop per family as a result of the political opposition using their one-seat majority in Parliament to slash the budget by a massive $20 Billion with the One Laptop Per Family project (OLPF) being a casualty.
The OLPF was initiated through the vision and stewardship of former President Bharrat Jagdeo as he believes that every Guyanese must have the skills to function in the world of tomorrow and, as such, pushed the implementation and development of ICT locally.
Scores of ICT labs have been constructed in secondary schools across the country.
The fibre optic cable from Brazil to Guyana will ensure that high-speed internet becomes readily available and also create more jobs as much more call centres will become operational.
Money for the cable allocated in the 2012 national budget has also been cut by the joint opposition.
Living up to the old adage of: “A friend in need is a friend indeed” China has once again demonstrated its sincere friendship by gifting us with an US$8M grant agreement for the supply of 30,000 laptops to the OLPF project.
So despite the unjustified and irrational budget cuts engineered by the combined political opposition, this fine gesture of friendship by China will now ensure that the laudable OLPF project will be fulfilled. For this the government and people of Guyana have to be forever grateful to the government and people of China.