China to provide US$10 million in financial support to Dominica

China has agreed to provide US$10 million towards budget support and other initiatives for Dominica, to be determined by the government. Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, who recently returned from a state visit to China, made this announcement on Friday at a press conference.

Part of the funds he said will be assigned to the future housing programme. “I can assure you that Dominica will continue to partner with the People’s Republic of China on major initiatives designed to uplift the lives and livelihoods of our citizens,” he told reporters.

A total of 10 agreements and memoranda of understanding have been signed with China during Skerritt’s visit between March 23 to 29. This will see the commencement of phase nine of the Agricultural Technical Cooperation Project, the Colihaut River retaining wall, home repair, and the construction of modern toilets.

Skerrit said the agreements also cover economic and technical cooperation between the two countries, jointly promoting the Belt & Road Initiative. He said the agreements also allow for cooperation between the Chinese state media agencies and the Government Information Service of Dominica.

Aside from that, the Dominica Prime Minister said his visit to China also provided an opportunity to meet with potential business investors. “There is high interest in exploring business and investment opportunities here, and we will pursue these aggressively in efforts to open new gateways to economic growth,” he added.

Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit speaking during a press conference on Friday April 5,2024.

Skerrit told the news conference that his delegation received the highest level of consideration from all with whom they interacted and had no doubt that “we were among friends.” He said the highlight of the visit was the meeting with President Xi Jinping, where “we restated our commitment to the friendly ties that have existed between our two countries for the past two decades.”

The Prime Minister said both he and President XI agreed that relations between Dominica and China are a firm example of successful collaboration and a model of mutual respect between developing countries.

He said he had received assurance from President Xi of his government’s intent to maintain and strengthen ties and explore further cooperation in areas of economy, education, health, and infrastructure. “I welcomed these expressions of friendship and cooperation and pledged Dominica’s commitment to fostering an even deeper alliance with China and expanding our economic links in new areas such as tourism, e-commerce and renewable energy.”

Skerrit also held similar discussions with China’s Premier Li Qiang to outline specific areas of collaboration and that, based on the discussions. 

By Sino-Carib News Writer