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IN what can be considered the first ever public response from the Chinese embassy since the use of foreign labour to construct the Marriott hotel made headlines in the local press, Chinese Ambassador to Guyana Zhang Limin appealed for positive media coverage on the long-standing friendship between Guyana and China. Minutes before signing a grant aid deal with Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh, for the commencement of a new One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme, Ambassador Limin, through his interpreter, said he is willing to clarify any information the media may have on the operations of Chinese companies in Guyana, either speaking to him directly, or visiting the Chinese Embassy on Mandela Avenue.
Speaking directly to the media that gathered for coverage of the OLPF event, Ambassador Limin reminded that Guyana holds the reputation as the first country in the Caribbean Community to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China, and the benefits of those ties have accrued over the years.
“More and more Chinese companies are coming to Guyana to seek investment and business opportunities. There are some that are state-owned companies, and also some privately owned companies,” Ambassador Limin said.
Their presence in Guyana, the ambassador said, is in keeping with the Chinese Government’s diplomacy to support social and economic development.
China’s tangible support to Guyana includes the construction of the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) at Liliendaal, the One Laptop Per Family Programme (OLPF), the donation of two roll-on-roll-off ferry vessels, medical expertise from roving Chinese medical missions and the construction of the Skeldon Sugar Factory.
The use of Chinese labour to construct the Marriott was also added to the list, but will also be remembered for the protest that it attracted which included a threat by the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) to take legal action.
The government had dubbed the recent actions as malicious, stemming from an ongoing campaign to botch the investment. From the inception, the project was widely criticised by Robert Badal of the Pegasus, who is believed to be a financier of the Alliance For Change (AFC), the party that moved a motion to block state funds for the project.
In the midst of the demonstrations was a Kaieteur News article questioning whether the Chinese nationals working on the project are convicts.
President Ramotar addressed the issue at Babu John on Sunday, saying that the Chinese intentions have always been good throughout history.
“History will show you that China has not exploited and colonised any country. In fact, the record of China… it has been helping to build societies in Africa and other parts of the world, and we must stand up and make the voice of the majority heard because there seems to be people financed from somewhere, dedicating themselves to slander and attack,” President Ramotar said. (GINA)
Speaking directly to the media that gathered for coverage of the OLPF event, Ambassador Limin reminded that Guyana holds the reputation as the first country in the Caribbean Community to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China, and the benefits of those ties have accrued over the years.
“More and more Chinese companies are coming to Guyana to seek investment and business opportunities. There are some that are state-owned companies, and also some privately owned companies,” Ambassador Limin said.
Their presence in Guyana, the ambassador said, is in keeping with the Chinese Government’s diplomacy to support social and economic development.
China’s tangible support to Guyana includes the construction of the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) at Liliendaal, the One Laptop Per Family Programme (OLPF), the donation of two roll-on-roll-off ferry vessels, medical expertise from roving Chinese medical missions and the construction of the Skeldon Sugar Factory.
The use of Chinese labour to construct the Marriott was also added to the list, but will also be remembered for the protest that it attracted which included a threat by the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) to take legal action.
The government had dubbed the recent actions as malicious, stemming from an ongoing campaign to botch the investment. From the inception, the project was widely criticised by Robert Badal of the Pegasus, who is believed to be a financier of the Alliance For Change (AFC), the party that moved a motion to block state funds for the project.
In the midst of the demonstrations was a Kaieteur News article questioning whether the Chinese nationals working on the project are convicts.
President Ramotar addressed the issue at Babu John on Sunday, saying that the Chinese intentions have always been good throughout history.
“History will show you that China has not exploited and colonised any country. In fact, the record of China… it has been helping to build societies in Africa and other parts of the world, and we must stand up and make the voice of the majority heard because there seems to be people financed from somewhere, dedicating themselves to slander and attack,” President Ramotar said. (GINA)
