Time flies! I’ve been in the Spice Island as Chinese Ambassador for more than one year now. When talking about Grenada each time, the first thing coming out of my mind is a sentence from a Chinese poem, “Good friends feel close to each other even when they are thousands of miles away”.
Grenada is blessed with breathtaking scenery, unspoilt landscape and rich endowment of tourism resources. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the brave and smart Grenadian people, this country has remained a reverent Spice Island of hope in the Caribbean. In recent years, Grenada witnessed significant economic growth, continuous improvement of fiscal performance, constant decline of national debt and steady growth of registered employment. Grenada is working in unity for prosperity and striving to achieve National Strategic Plan 2030. As China’s envoy, I am heartened to seeGrenada's accomplishments and sincerely wish Grenada still greater success in its economic and social development.
What makes me happier is that China-Grenadarelationship is overwhelmingly defined by mutual support, friendly cooperation and affinity between our peoples. Today China and Grenada are enjoying firm political mutual trust, fruitful practical cooperation, consolidated people-to-people exchanges, and mutual support and coordination in international affairs. It is one of the best of its kind in the Caribbean region.
We are glad to see that many China-aided projects have not only boosted Grenada’s economy, improved people’s livelihood, but also become important venues for enriching local cultural life and promoting Grenada’s international image. China-aided National Athletic Stadium, now Kirani James Stadium, receiving a Class One Certification by IAAF, attracted top athletes all over the world in the Grenadian Invitationals, created many job opportunities and much revenue for Grenada, which better publicized the image of Grenada to over 90 million families in the world. China-aided Cricket Stadium has become an important venue for varioushistorical occasions. China-aided Low-Income Housing Project, both phase 1 and 2, will altogether provide 1000 Grenadian families with decent houses. China-aided Agricultural Technical Cooperation Project we’re wellimplemented in La Sagesse, greatly promoted the healthy agricultural development in Grenada and produced good economic and social benefits.
People-to-people friendship holds the key to good state-to-state relations. Rich and diverse people-to-people exchanges blossoming between our two countries have led to a growing interest in China and Chinese culture among Grenadian people. Since 2005, over 1600 Grenadians received Chinese Government Scholarships or Short-term Training Courses. Confucius Classroom in TAMCC builds up a bridge connecting internal world of our two peoples. The historical visit of Ark Peace Hospital Ship visited Grenada in 2015, providing medical service to 9057 person-times in Grenada.The next trip by the hospital ship will be late this year. I believe this kind of exchanges will continue.
No man is an island, no man stands alone, says a Grenadian proverb. Similarly, this is also the value contained in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision of a community of shared future for mankind. It is natural for all living things to be different. So it is for over 200 countries and regions in the world to differ in culture, race, religion and social system. But despite the differences, there is only one blue sky overhead and one planet earth that we call home. As we Chinese often say, “All within the four seas belong to one family”. The idea of a community with a shared future for mankind reflects this wisdom of harmony and coexistence. China and the Caribbean countries, including Grenada, have always been a community of shared future, facing same development tasks of poverty reduction and shared aspiration for a better life. To achieve common development and prosperity, we need to join hands to build an even stronger China-Grenada community with a shared future.
We need to uphold mutual respect and trust by viewingand growing our bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, firmly supporting each other on issues of core interests and major concern and enhancing exchanges and cooperation at all levels.
We need to connect our development strategies expand cooperation in all areas. As such, China with its rapid growth is willing to share its development opportunities as well asChina's experience from four decades of Reforming and Opening Up with Grenada. We are always ready to do our due contribution to the prosperity and stability of the Spice Island.
We need to expand cooperation in all areas. Under the premise of complementary advantages, we can expand cooperation areas and ways, strengthen pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in infrastructure construction, agriculture and marine economic cooperation, translating our friendship into concrete outcomes and delivering more benefits to our peoples.
We need to promote mutual understanding and further enhance people-to-people exchanges. We will continue to encourage further friendly exchange between our education and research institutions, cultural and art groups, media and youth organizations so that the express train of China-Grenada cooperation will speed ahead smoothly.
We need to strengthen cooperation in international and regional affairs. China is willing to have closer communication and coordination with Grenada on major issues such as UNreform affairs, maintaining multilateral trading system and climate change. Both being part of the developing countries, we share a lot in view and we can do a lot to build a new order of international governance.
Similar dreams and shared destiny have brought the Chinese and Grenadian people together. There is no excuse to doubt that China-Grenada relations will embrace a very bright future. It is thus our shared mission to join hands to promote cooperation and write a new chapter in China-Grenada relations.