…Ushering in a new chapter in China-Guyana relations

I AM deeply honoured to be appointed by H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, as the 17th Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and arrived in the “Land of Many Waters” full of natural beauty and tremendous opportunities on 17 April 2025. I would like to avail this opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude and best wishes to friends from all walks of life who have long nurtured and supported the development of China-Guyana relations.

China and Guyana are friends sharing weal and woe. Though separated by great distance, our two nations have forged an enduring friendship. In 1853, the first group of Chinese indentured labourers arrived in Guyana and gradually integrated into the local society, becoming one of Guyana’s six major ethnic groups. In 1972, Guyana, as the first English-speaking Caribbean country, established diplomatic relations with China. Over the years, China and Guyana have stood together through thick and thin, sharing weal and woe. Our friendship, tested by time and distance, has proven resilient, continuing to thrive with vitality.

Political mutual trust has deepened steadily, and strategic synergy has grown even closer. In 2023, H.E. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali paid an official visit to China, and President Xi Jinping held an in-depth meeting with President Ali and reached an important consensus on bilateral relations and matters of mutual concern, charting a new blueprint for the future development of China-Guyana relations. I stand ready to work closely with the Guyanese side to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, to share opportunities, confront challenges, pursue cooperation, promote development together, and build jointly an even closer China-Guyana community with a shared future.

China and Guyana are partners cooperating closely. At present, practical cooperation between our two nations has entered the fast track, and projects under the auspices of the Belt and Road Initiative have delivered fruitful outcomes. In 2024, bilateral trade between China and Guyana reached US$1.4 billion, up 14.3% year-on-year and nearly four times higher than in 2019. China’s direct investment in Guyana also surged from US$256 million in 2019 to US$10.6 billion in 2024, representing a fortyfold increase. Signature projects, including the New Demerara River Bridge, six Regional Hospitals, and the China-aided China-Guyana Friendship Joe Vieira Park, will become iconic landmarks of the ever-growing China-Guyana friendship. Chinese enterprises have fulfilled social responsibilities by creating nearly 5,000 jobs for the local community and actively participating in public welfare activities, such as poverty alleviation, educational assistance, and charitable donations.

With enormous potential in China-Guyana economic and trade cooperation, we will encourage more qualified, reputable, and competent enterprises to invest in Guyana and take an active part in the country’s modernisation process, promoting the high-quality upgrade of practical cooperation between our two nations.

China and Guyana are brothers bound by deep affection. Amity between the people holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Guyana have grown closer and more dynamic. The Chinese government has dispatched 20 medical teams to Guyana since 1993, providing healthcare to over 1,310,000 patients, treating more than 30,000 critically ill cases, and performing over 70,000 surgeries. The Confucius Institute at the University of Guyana has played a vital role in cultivating local Chinese language talents and advancing China-Guyana cultural exchanges since its establishment in 2014.

Meanwhile, numerous Guyanese officials, doctors, entrepreneurs, journalists, policemen, and engineers have undertaken professional and technical training in China, emerging as key participants, beneficiaries, and promoters of China-Guyana people-to-people exchanges. Just as President Ali pointed out, China and Guyana are more than friends—we are family members. With the joint efforts of both sides, the Chinese Dragon and the Guyanese Jaguar are forging closer ties.

Guyana is a crucial member of both CARICOM and CELAC. China has always been firmly supporting Latin American and Caribbean countries, in pursuing development paths tailored to their national conditions, firmly supporting the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all nations, firmly supporting the integration of Latin America and Caribbean countries, firmly supporting Guyana and other countries in the region to play an even bigger role in international affairs.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the official launch of the China-CELAC Forum. The Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum will be convened soon. An increasing number of Latin American and Caribbean countries have spoken highly of the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, and look forward to China exerting greater leadership on the international stage. China and Latin America have established the new five-sphere framework of cooperation characterised by mutual trust in the political sphere, win-win cooperation in the economic sphere, mutual learning and exchange in the cultural sphere, close coordination in international affairs, and strong synergy between overall cooperation and bilateral relations. High-quality Belt and Road cooperation between China and Latin America continues to deepen and deliver tangible results. Cooperation is expanding in scope, upgrading in structure, gaining more momentum, and improving in quality.

In 2024, China–Latin America trade exceeded US$500 billion for the first time, a fortyfold increase compared with the year 2000. Taking the 10th anniversary of the China-CELAC Forum as a new starting point, both sides will jointly plan for development and stand together in the face of challenges, amplifying the united voice of the Global South for solidarity and resilience and bringing stability and energy to the turbulent world. Unilateralism and protectionism lead nowhere; multilateralism and win-win cooperation offer the only way forward.

China stands ready to work hand in hand with Guyana to seize new opportunities for common development, usher in a new chapter in bilateral relations, and better serve our two nations and peoples. At the same time, China and Latin America, as part of the Global South, will unite and cooperate to make greater contributions to global peace, security, prosperity, and advancement.