President Dr. Irfaan Ali today received a farewell courtesy call from outgoing Chinese Ambassador Cui Jianchun at State House.
Ambassador Jianchun was accredited in 2017.
The Chinese diplomat also paid a farewell courtesy call on Prime Minister Mark Phillips.
Prime Minister Phillips thanked the ambassador for his service and said that he is optimistic about continued cooperation between the two countries.
“On behalf of the people of Guyana, I want to thank the Ambassador for four years of service that has benefited the Guyanese people. During those years the Ambassador would have spearheaded many initiatives that contributed immensely to the development of Guyana. Those projects would have been in the health sector, infrastructure, ICT, assistance to the police and assistance to the Guyana Defence Force and we look forward to continued cooperation with his successor,” he is quoted as saying in a statement from the Department of Public Information (DPI).
The Chinese Ambassador praised Guyana for its unique culture and said that he is optimistic about the development of the country over the next decade.
“I thank the Guyanese people and the Government for their warm welcome and hospitality… I am really moved by the culture here, Guyana is a melting pot and I am proud that Chinese is of one of the six ethnic groups. Not many countries have such an advantage and I am very proud that the country’s first President was Chinese,” the Ambassador said.
Guyana was the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. The historic event took place on June 27, 1972. By October, 1973, Guyana had opened an embassy in Beijing.
