BEIJING, CMC—Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with the visiting Surinamese President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, on Friday, underscoring the long history of friendship between the Asian country and the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
According to the official China News Agency, Xinhua, President Xi said Suriname was one of the first Caribbean countries to establish diplomatic ties with China, develop a strategic partnership with China, and sign the Belt and Road cooperation plan with China.
He said the two countries have always respected each other and treated each other as equals, becoming a model of South-South cooperation. Beijing is willing to work with Suriname to further consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen economic and trade cooperation, expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and step up international coordination.
President Xi said China is willing to push for a closer China-Suriname strategic cooperative partnership to benefit the two peoples better.
He said that China highly appreciates Suriname’s friendship and its firm support for China on issues concerning China’s core interests and major concerns. Beijing also firmly supports Suriname in safeguarding its national sovereignty and independence and independently choosing a development path suited to its national conditions.
“China welcomes more high-quality and distinctive Surinamese products to enter the Chinese market and stands ready to deepen cooperation with Suriname on joint Belt and Road construction, enhance synergy of development strategies, and expand cooperation on trade, investment, agriculture, energy, mining, infrastructure construction, and digital economy to bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples,” Xi said.
Noting that Suriname has the highest number of overseas Chinese in the Caribbean and was the first country in the Western Hemisphere to mark the Chinese New Year as an official holiday, Xi said the two sides should continue to encourage cultural and people-to-people exchanges, facilitate personnel exchanges, and jointly build Confucius Institutes.
He added that the two countries should strengthen sub-national cooperation and constantly enrich the content of bilateral exchanges and cooperation.
Xi said China is ready to work with Suriname and other developing countries to strengthen multilateral coordination, solidarity, and cooperation, safeguard common interests, achieve joint development, and promote building a community with a shared future for humanity.
He said China attaches importance to developing relations with Caribbean countries, supports Caribbean countries in seeking prosperity and development and improving people’s well-being, and stands ready to continue to assist in the economic and social development of countries in the region within its capacity.
Santokhi, the second CARICOM leader to visit within a month, spoke of the “important contributions” made by the Chinese community in Suriname to the country’s development.
He said that since the two countries established diplomatic ties 48 years ago, Suriname has always firmly adhered to the one-China principle and will continue to support China unswervingly in its endeavor to achieve national reunification.
Santokhi expressed Suriname’s appreciation for the assistance provided by the Chinese side to its economic and social development, saying that the fruitful cooperation between the two countries in agriculture, health, infrastructure, and other fields reflects the high-level political mutual trust and brotherly friendship. It improved Suriname’s economy and people’s livelihoods, setting an excellent example of South-South cooperation.
Santokhi said Suriname supports the important initiatives proposed by China, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, which are of great significance in upholding multilateralism and promoting world peace and sustainable development and stands ready to advance coordination with China to jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
He said that Suriname expects to improve exchanges between the political parties of the two countries, expand cooperation in fields such as trade, economy and investment, green development, and climate change, and advance the Suriname-China strategic cooperative partnership, and is willing to contribute to Caribbean-China relations.
The two heads of state witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents on the economy, trade, investment, green development, digital economy, education, and other fields.
Meanwhile, China’s top political advisor, Wang Huning, also met with President Santokhi on Friday.
Wang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), noted that the two countries have always respected each other, treated each other as equals in mutually beneficial cooperation, and understood and supported each other’s core interests and major concerns.
Wang said China stands ready to work with Suriname to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, continuously consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen economic and trade cooperation, deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, strengthen international coordination, and push for more achievements in bilateral strategic cooperative partnership.
He said that the CPPCC National Committee is ready to contribute positively to this end.
Santokhi said Suriname abides by the one-China principle and is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the CPPCC National Committee and promote further development of bilateral friendly relations.
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