– Municipal Secretary on visiting mission
TIANJIN Municipality, a major port and a communication hub in China, is ready to build relations with Guyana; and Secretary to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Tianjin Municipal Committee, Zhang Gaoli was honoured to extend the invitation.
Tianjin Municipality has a population of 14 million, occupying 11,000 square kilometres, with more than 20 varieties of minerals, including manganese, gold, copper, aluminum, zinc, limestone, marble, medical stone and natural oil stone, petroleum and natural gas.
During a reception at State House Sunday evening, Mr. Zhang Gaoli, made the pitch to President Ramotar in the presence of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, executive members of the People’s Progressive Party, and members of the Diplomatic Corps.
The reception was followed by a meeting yesterday at the Office of the President, where Mr Gaoli, along with a visiting delegation, met with the president and members of his Cabinet at the Office of the President, ahead of scheduled meetings with parliamentarians and other key stakeholders.
Yesterday’s meetings focused on deepening inter-governmental relations and cooperation in various fields, and the exchange of ideas on important issues in the Region and the international arena.
Visits were also scheduled to Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (Red House), Umana Yana, Castellani House, St George’s Cathedral, and the Office of the Prime Minister.
Mr. Zhang Gaoli, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, told President Ramotar that he was pleased to be in Guyana at the invitation of the government, and assured that the visit will solidify the longstanding friendship between the two countries.
Guyana holds the reputation as the first English speaking country in the Caribbean to have established bilateral ties with the People’s Republic of China, and the growth in cooperation, particularly in bilateral trade and infrastructure, were highlighted.
The PPP/C administration has even backed what it considered a principled position of a ‘One China’ policy, and has consistently sided with the upholding of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“The PPP party has a very close relationship with the Communist Party of China…the people, before our party was formed, had supported the movement of the Communist Party as they vowed to triumph in the revolution of 1949…our parties share many of the same ideals, such as the eradication of poverty, and providing our citizens a decent quality of living,” the Head of State said.
President Ramotar said the support which Guyana has received from China over the years has accrued, and he was looking forward to a future of greater cooperation for the benefit of the people of both countries.
“ The PPP and the PPP Civic Government highly appreciate this support which has made a parallel contribution to our economic and social development programme … the vibrancy in our relations has also manifested itself in several exchanges which we have had at the government, military, and party levels,” President Ramotar said.
After hearing of efforts to restructure the economy through diversification, increased value-added activities and enhancing the competitiveness of the traditional sectors, Mr. Zhang Gaoli spoke of Guyana as a country with rich resources, and acknowledged the relentless effort by the Guyana Government to preserve the national economy and livelihoods of its people, even in the throes of the financial and economic crises.
After being elected to the position of Secretary to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Tianjin Municipal Committee, for the first time in 2007, Zhang Gaoli was re-elected in May this year.
Guyana and China are preparing to celebrate 40 years of cordial and fruitful relations.
China has been a key patron in Guyana’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) initiative, with a Chinese firm, Haier Electrical Appliance Limited, supplying devices for the One Laptop Per Family Programme (OLPF).
In September 2011, the government and Haier signed a contract for the supply of 27,000 laptops and subsequently, the company opened a centre in Georgetown to carry out the contractual obligations for the OLPF programme. The centre is seen as the start of the assembly line for Haier technology locally.
Recently, a US$8M grant-gift agreement for the supply of 30,000 laptops to OLPF project was signed.
Guyana has also received two new roll-on/roll-off ferry vessels from that country, which will boost the water transportation sector in Regions 2 and 3.
Agreements were signed for provision of fire-fighting equipment for the Ministry of Home Affairs, and continuation of the Chinese Youth Volunteer programme. These were among those signed when the Guyana/China Joint Commission met in Guyana in 2011.
Another agreement for 30 million yuan was sealed for projects to be determined this year, while Guyana facilitated the arrangement for signing the framework agreement for the e-governance project to the tune of 215 million yuan.
The Chinese have been lending their medical expertise to this country over the past 20 years, with the presence of the Medical Brigade.
The Guyana International Conference Centre, which was funded by a grant provided by the Chinese Government, was built at a cost of approximately US$8M, and has been serving Guyana well since its commissioning in 2006. The Chinese also built the Skeldon Sugar Factory in Region 6.