GDF, Chinese military agree U$4.8M aid pact
–for acquisition of much-needed ‘non-lethal’ items

THE People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China yesterday signed a US$4.8M agreement with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) which will aid in providing necessities for a stronger military.

The deal was sealed during the opening of the 2014 Bilateral Staff Conference at the Guyana Conference Centre at Liliendaal, and signed by Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips and Major-General Kong Li on behalf of the GDF and the PLA respectively.

According to Brigadier Phillips, Guyana has for over forty years maintained a “strong relationship” with the people of China. He noted that Guyana was one of the nations who voted in support of China’s admittance to the United Nations and it was a clear demonstration of Guyana’s support to China’s one-nation policy.
He further emphasised that since the 1970s, China and the PLA have been providing assistance and equipment to the GDF , and so their offices have benefited tremendously from this support. Added to this, he said that most, if not all, of the senior officers in the GDF would have had at some point visited China for training of some kind.

NON-LETHAL ITEMS

The Chief-of-Staff related that the money donated to the military will be used to acquire “non-lethal” items that are much needed by the army. These would include engineering and medical equipment, military kits and for the construction of buildings. “China has always been giving us non-lethal assistance over the years and, by way of agreement, this assistance will always be non-lethal,” Phillips told reporters yesterday.
PLA Major General Kong Li expressed his support to the GDF, noting that this provision of US$4.8M to Guyana’s military is one which has no political implications and is directly funded from one military arm to another. “This military assistance is not affixed with political implications and political conditions and I think we can further our detailed discussions in the later consultations,” Li said.
The GDF delegation at yesterday’s event included Brigadier Mark Phillips, Colonel Kemraj Persaud, Colonel George Lewis, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick West, Lieutenant Colonel Nazrul Hussain, Commander Gary Beaton, Major Courtney Byrne and Major Delbert George.
The PLA delegation included Ambassador Zhang Li Min, Major General Kong Li, Colonel Zhang Ye, Senior Colonel Zhang Jin, Senior Colonel Wang Wei, Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Qian and Lieutenant Zhang Duo.
Meanwhile, from August 26-29, Guyana will host the inaugural high-level meeting of the GDF and the Brazilian Army.

(By Ravin Singh)