Foreign minister labels Jamaica China’s ‘priority country’ in region
Published:Monday | January 22, 2024 | 12:10 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has been lauded by visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for maintaining an outstanding bilateral relationship with China since taking office as Jamaica’s head of government.
“Honourable Minister, since you have taken office, we’ve seen that you’ve remained firm in our friendly policy,” Wang said on Saturday.
“Jamaica is an important country in the Caribbean region. It is also China’s priority country for cooperation in the wider Latin America and the Caribbean region,” he said.
The occasion was a courtesy call and discussion with the Chinese foreign minister at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Andrew on Saturday.
Wang said that over the past 40 years and more, Jamaica and China’s bilateral relations have come a long way.
This was the first visit of a minister of foreign affairs from China to Jamaica since 2003.
Holness, on the other hand, visited China in 2019 for the National Import Exhibition and recalled his experience.
“The trip was very useful and meaningful for the people of Jamaica and our bilateral relationship. During that visit, we elevated our relationship to a strategic partnership,” Holness said.
“Excellency, we’re honoured to celebrate 51 years of diplomatic relationship between the two countries, and we’re very proud to state that Jamaica was the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean to recognise the One China policy, and let me assure you that Jamaica continues … to support the One China policy,” he said.
Holness also thanked Wang for the cooperation between China and Jamaica and committed to continue working to strengthen the relationship.
“Excellency, our cooperation has broadened, both in terms of bilateral issues, but we also cooperate very well on international/global issues … . We note the cooperation in infrastructure development, in healthcare, particularly during the COVID pandemic, and the people of Jamaica are mindful of this and very grateful,” he said.
He also extended congratulations to the people of China on their 75th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China.
Also present at the meeting was Wang’s Jamaican counterpart, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, the minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, and Alando Terrelonge, state minister in Jamaica’s foreign ministry.