The Gambia and China today signed three cooperation agreements on the “Belt and Road “ project for Infrastructural development, Economic and technical cooperation, and culture, to enhance modernization of agriculture, built capacity through professional training and higher education.
The signing ceremony was led by Gambian Foreign Minister, Muhammadu Tangara and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, as Foreign Minister and the State Councilor of the People’s Republic of China.
The ceremony was witnessed by their Excellencies, President Adama Barrow, andPresident Xi Jinping at a bilateral meeting held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The two leaders discussed various areas of cooperation since the renewal of diplomatic ties, which has been centered on mutual benefit and respect, between Beijing and Banjul last year. While expressing gratitude for the support provided to his government, President Adama Barrow urged President Xi to strengthen support in the areas of energy, agriculture and infrastructure development.
“The priority of my government is to make electricity affordable and accessible; expansion of the sea portof Banjul, road networks, mechanisationof agriculture, amongst others,” the Gambian President explained, noting the need to encourage private sector participation.
The Gambian leader also emphasized the need for modernisationof agriculture and the use of technology to add value to rice production and create jobs for women and youth as well as ensure food security.
President Jinping, on his part, praised the growing relationship between China and The Gambia and thanked The Gambian President for supporting the One China policy at the global level. He gave assurances that China would work with The Gambia in its priority areas to develop agriculture through modernization, expansion of the infrastructure, build capacity through higher education.
The bilateral meeting was witnessed by Gambian delegation to the FOCAC Summit. It could be recalled that this was the second time President Barrow met with President Xi Jinping in less than a year, demonstrating the important tie between the two countries.
Later in the evening during a bilateral meeting with Chinese leaders, President Barrow was honored with a dinner hosted by Mr. Han Zheng, member of the Communist Party Congress of China.
