In addition to strengthening existing areas of cooperation between Guyana and China during his upcoming state visit to the East Asian country this month, President Dr Irfaan Ali is hoping to foster new partnerships with the world’s second largest economy.
Speaking to reporters during a press conference on Wednesday, the Head of State explained that, as is done with all the country’s bilateral partners, Guyana will advance discussions on its national transformative agenda during engagements with Chinese officials.
“In addition to our national transformative plan that we’re discussing with all our bilateral partners, we also have climate, energy, and food security as key areas and key topics for discussion with China,” President Ali expressed.
“We’re (looking to) provide global leadership, and global leadership requires us communicating with all our partners what we want to achieve, where we see things, and to share ideas. We have also common bilateral and multilateral concerns that we will be discussing,” he explained.
Notwithstanding, he said Guyana will seek to develop new areas of cooperation.
“I would say our agenda has some specifics, but also it is broad enough to look new areas of cooperation, including technology and security,” he added.
Already, President Ali has disclosed plans to discuss with China financing for the completion of the Lethem to Mabura Hill Road project.
Last year, Guyana and China celebrated 50 years of bilateral relations. Over the years, agreements such as the joint commission of trade signing, the 2001 trade agreement, the 2003 investment agreement, and the 2018 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Belt and Road Initiative have strengthened the economic relations between the two countries.
Bilateral cooperation between the two countries has also resulted in Guyana benefitting from the services of Chinese medical doctors and technicians, donations of equipment to the health sector, the educational work of the Confucius Institute, the support given to the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service, the donation of scientific equipment to the tune of $50 million to the Cyril Potter College of Education, and the donation of vehicles and other equipment to the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force.
When it comes to infrastructural support, China has provided funding through the EXIM (Export-Import) Bank of China for the expansion and renovation of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and the widening of the East Coast Demerara Public Road.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China would be the largest driver of global economic growth in the next five years, and it would contribute 22.6 per cent of total world growth.
