China and Trinidad and Tobago: Joining hands to embrace a shared future

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency Fang Qiu.

PORT OF SPAIN - Today marks the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Over the past 74 years, under the steadfast leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese people have triumphed over numerous challenges and strived together with unity and fortitude. China has transformed from a poverty-stricken and underdeveloped nation into the world’s second largest economy, a major global trader, and the preeminent manufacturer. In just a few decades, China has achieved industrialisation at a pace that took developed countries centuries to attain.

In particular, in the past decade, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, marking a period of tremendous achievement and historic change. Following a people-centred development philosophy, China has eradicated absolute poverty and realised the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects, delivering significant strides in advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese path to modernisation.

Over the decade, China has achieved an annual growth rate of 6.2 per cent, contributing more than 30 per cent on average to global growth. In the first half of this year, amid the struggling world economic recovery and a challenging and complex external environment, China’s GDP grew by 5.5 per cent year on year, notably faster than last year’s 3 per cent, which demonstrates the continued resilience, potential, and vitality of the Chinese economy.

The World Bank predicts that China’s economy will grow by 5.6 per cent this year, remaining a major engine of the global growth. China recognises its interdependence with the world and believes that mutual development benefits both. Therefore, China’s opening-up will not stop and the door will only open wider to the world.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the inception of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Over the past decade, China has signed over 200 Belt and Road cooperation agreements with more than 150 countries and more than 30 international organisations, making the BRI one of the most popular international public goods and the largest-scale international cooperation platform, boasting remarkable achievements.

Ten years on, the Belt and Road cooperation has remarkably enhanced connectivity. It has taken “hard connectivity” in infrastructure as an important direction, “soft connectivity” in rules and standards as an important support, and “heart connectivity” with the people of the partner countries as an important foundation. A general connectivity framework consisting of six corridors, six connectivity routes and multiple countries and ports has been put in place.

Ten years on, the Belt and Road cooperation has greatly boosted world economy. Nearly US$1 trillion of investment globally has been galvanised and more than 3,000 projects and 421,000 jobs for participating countries have been created. China’s trade in goods with BRI countries doubled from US$1.04 trillion in 2013 to US$2.07 trillion in 2022, with an average annual growth rate of 8 per cent.

Ten years on, the Belt and Road cooperation has benefited people’s livelihood and well-being. Projects closely linked to people’s daily life have effectively increased the living standards of people in BRI partner countries. According to the World Bank, by 2030, BRI transport infrastructure, if fully implemented, is expected to increase global real income by 0.7 to 2.9 per cent, lifting 7.6 million people from extreme poverty and 32 million people from moderate poverty.

China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order. We have put forward the Global Development Initiative, calling on the international community to focus on unbalanced and inadequate development and propose a feasible path to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We have put forward the Global Security Initiative, pursuing a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and advocated a new security path featuring dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliance, and win-win rather than zero-sum. We have put forward the Global Civilisation Initiative. We call for civilisations to transcend estrangement through exchanges, conflicts through mutual learning, and superiority through inclusiveness.

The past decade has also witnessed the all-round upgradation of the comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Trinidad and Tobago. The two countries have always trusted, respected and supported each other, and consolidated political mutual trust and practical cooperation. China and Trinidad and Tobago have set an example of equality, mutual benefit and common development among countries large and small, and played an important leading role in the Caribbean region.

In 2018, during Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s visit to China, Trinidad and Tobago became the first Caribbean country to officially sign onto the BRI, propelling our practical cooperation in various fields to a new stage. In 2019, Trinidad and Tobago became the first Caricom country to surpass US$1 billion in trade with China. By 2022, our bilateral trade volume exceeded US$1.31 billion, more than doubling the value prior to joining the BRI.

Trinidad and Tobago enterprises have participated in the China International Import Expo for two consecutive years, introducing specialty products like rum and chocolate to Chinese consumers. We also expect high-quality cocoa products to be exported to China later this year.

The Phoenix Park Industrial Estate, the first BRI flagship project in the Caribbean region, has been completed and is set to begin operations soon. With 14 investors already established and more expected in the future, the PPIE will serve as a model for promoting economic diversification and transformation in Trinidad and Tobago, offering increased opportunities for investment and employment. Meanwhile, our two countries have launched the Forensic Science Centre project, which will be a new vital tool in combating crime.

The BRI has also served as incentive for closer people-to-people and cultural exchanges. I remember freshly our mutual help during the Covid-19 pandemic, providing urgently needed life-saving PPE’s, medical supplies and vaccines from one side to the other. I am still indulged in the joy of the inauguration of Chinatown in 2021, the only one in the English-speaking Caribbean region, and the successful Chinese New Year temple fair earlier this year that attracted over 3,000 people from across the country.

The Letter of Intent for twinning Shanghai and Port of Spain marked a significant step forward in the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two cities and by extension the two countries. Furthermore, numerous cultural, educational, and other human exchange programmes for younger generations have continued to develop, including the Confucius Institute at The UWI St Augustine, the Chinese Ambassador Scholarship, the Chinese book collection at Nalis, and the China-TT Friendship Classroom established at Cumana RC Primary School, among others. Concurrently, collaboration in agriculture, medicine, health, disaster prevention, and green development has deepened our friendship and improved our people’s well-being.

Later this month, the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will convene in Beijing. We will assess our achievements, plan, and advance high-quality BRI cooperation for sustainable development. I have every expectation that this will pave the way for even more promising opportunities in the win-win cooperation between China and Trinidad and Tobago.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Trinidad and Tobago. We are willing to seize this opportunity to follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, deepen our longstanding amity, enhance political mutual trust, and achieve more practical outcomes from our cooperation in various fields. This will benefit the people of both countries and make greater contributions to regional and global stability and prosperity as we work together to build a community with a shared future for all humankind.