The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister
Ladies and gentlemen, Dear friends.
Welcome to the online reception celebrating the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and Barbados.
On 30 May 1977, China and Barbados formally established diplomatic relations. There is an old Chinese saying, a bosom friend afar brings a distant land near. Although China and Barbados are far apart, their friendship has a long history. The two sides are good friends, good partners and good brothers sharing the same ideal.
Since the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Barbados 45 years ago, the bilateral ties have maintained a sound momentum of growth. The two countries have carried out fruitful cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, culture, education and health care, setting an exemple of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and common development between countries of different sizes. In July, 2021, President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, reaching a series of important consensus and charting the course for the future development of China-Barbados relations.
The political mutual trust has been enhanced. China and Barbados respect each other's national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and support and coordinate with each other on issues related to respective core interests and major concerns. China highly appreciates Barbados' adherence to the one-China principle and opposition to interference in China's internal affairs. China also firmly supports Barbados in pursuing successful development paths suited to its national condition and history, and which safeguards its legitimate rights and interests. The two sides have worked closely together to safeguard justice, strengthen coordination and maintain communication in international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the Group of 77, aiming at protecting the overall interests of developing countries,
advocating multilateralism, and safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law. China supports Barbados in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs and calling for the international community to take prompt and positive action for developing countries, especially small island developing states, in addressing issues such as climate change, financing for development and food security.
The pragmatic cooperation has been strengthened. In 2021, bilateral trade volume between China and Barbados reached US$250 million and China became Barbados’ fourth largest import source of goods and commodities. In 2019, China and Barbados signed the Belt and Road Cooperation Memorandum. The Chinese-aided Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre and Cheapside Market are playing important roles in local economic and social life. Harrison's Cave and other projects built by Chinese companies have become famous tourist attractions. The Sam Lord’s Castle Hotel and road rehabilitation projects in the Scotland District financed by Chinese government’s concessional loans are steadily progressing. Next month, 2 projects granted by the Chinese government to enhance food security of Barbados, which are the Center for Food Security and Entrepreneurship Project and the Hope Agriculture Training Institute Project, will kick off. 2 vegetable greenhouses will be built in Barbados soon with the aid of China. Since 2014, China has organised around 30 capacity building courses for Barbados, covering areas such as e-commerce, agricultural technology and tourism development. The 49 electric buses operating on the island are made in China, making contributions to the reduction of carbon emissions and sustainable economic development of Barbados. In 2004, Barbados was listed as one of the first tourist destinations in China. Now, more and more Chinese tourists are visiting this beautiful island and Barbados' rum is very popular in China.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Mottley exchanged letters, expressing their mutual support. China and Barbados have pulled together and jointly overcome the difficu-lties. China has successively assisted Barbados with 30,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and 14 batches of urgently needed medical supplies and PPEs. At the recent China-Caribbean Foreign Ministers' Meeting, China announced that it will donate another batch of anti-pandemic and medical supplies to Caribbean countries having diplomatic relations with China. China has been sending medical teams to Barbados since 2016, and about 10 out of every 100 people in Barbados have received medical services from Chinese medical teams.
Cultural exchanges are flourishing. Since 2011, China has been sending Chinese language teachers to Barbados, and Chinese has been included as a foreign language course at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus. 2014 saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Education Cooperation between the Ministries of Education of China and Barbados. Since then, the education cooperation and exchanges between the two countries have been in full swing. 2017 saw China’s donation of computers, desks and chairs worth of $10 million to Barbados. In recent years, nearly 100 Barbadian students have received scholarships from the Chinese government to study in China, serving as ambassadors of friendship and exchange between the two countries. The Confucius Institute at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus was officially inaugurated in 2015. More and more Barbadians are learning Chinese and understanding Chinese culture there. Lushan Primary School in Hunan, China, and Charles F. Broomes Memorial Primary School in Barbados have formed a friendly school relationship. The Chinese Embassy in Barbados and the Central Bank of Barbados jointly launched the "Fish and Dragon Festival" in 2015. It features on Chinese Spring Festival and has been hosted for the past consecutive eight years, becoming a well-known cultural brand in Barbados and well received across the region.
Dear Friends, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Barbados, we have organised a symposium focusing on all-round bilateral relations, a seminar featuring on cultural exchange and a painting competition among Barbados’s young generation. In June, we will host an online concert and issue a special edition of electronic magazine. Now, I am pleased to announce the release of the commemorative cover for the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and Barbados. The main design of the commemorative cover is the famous Crane Beach here in Barbados and the famous Sanya Yalong Bay beach in Hainan, China. The postmark is a combination of Peony, the national flower of China, and the Pride of Barbados, the national flower of Barbados. The commemorative cover bears the inscription "China - Barbados Long-standing Friendship".
Dear Friends, there is an old Chinese saying, "Distance cannot separate true friends who remain close even when thousands of miles apart". China and Barbados is closely tied to each other by the bond of friendship. At present, the world is beset by global changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, which has caused severe and complicated challenges with regard to the global economic and social development and security situation.
Looking back, the past has been fruitful. Looking ahead, China and Barbados should be guided by the spirit of consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Mottley, which has blueprinted a path for the sustaining development of relations between the two countries, maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, continuously enhance political mutual trust, promote the Belt and Road Cooperation, join hands to implement the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and build a higher level of China-Barbados relations which will benefit the people of both countries and lead to the China-Barbados community with a shared future.
May the friendship and cooperation between China and Barbados grow from strength to strength!
May the friendship between the two peoples ever-lasting!
Thank you.