By Kurt Campbell
[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Government of Guyana and the Government of China on Friday morning (December 6) signed two agreements in the board room of the Ministry of Finance, Georgetown.
The first was a grant of $30 million RMB (US $4.9M) under the Economic Technical Cooperation Agreement between the two countries and an acceptance certificate for a vehicular scanner for the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The two countries will meet subsequently to decide on what projects the money will be used for.
Signing on behalf of the Guyana Government was Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh while Chinese Ambassador to Guyana Zhang Limin signed on behalf of the Chinese Government.
China in recent times has been providing Guyana with significant sums of money in grant aids to develop local infrastructure and the economy as a whole.
At the signing ceremony, Dr. Singh said he was proud to see the manifestations of the relationship between the two countries, noting that Guyana was one of the first countries in the Caribbean to establish diplomatic relations with China.
He said there are many examples of projects that have been implemented and are currently being implemented with China’s support.
“Guyana has made full use of the resource made available and provided by China” Dr. Singh said.
He added that China has not only assisted on the large projects like the airport expansion but have also assisted with the development of small projects.
The Finance Minister in this regard pointed to the provision of a medical brigade, sports coaches, training for small businesses, scholarships, cultural exchanges all of which he said serve to be beneficial and enrich the already cordial relationship.
With respect to the provision of the scanner, the Minister posited that it is a highly valued addition to the equipment and capital stock of the Authority.
He said it will, in a very significant way, enhance the capacity of GRA to discharge its functions in keeping with international trade and expressed profound gratitude in this regard.
