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Promote China-Liberia Friendly and Win-Win Cooperation and Work Together to Build a China-Liberia Community with a Shared Future
2022-02-22 19:09



Ren Yisheng, Chinese Ambassador to Liberia (COURTESY)

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between China and Liberia. On this special occasion, ChinAfrica did an exclusive written interview with Ren Yisheng, Chinese Ambassador to Liberia, and heard his viewpoints about the development of China-Liberia relations. Edited excerpts of the interview are as follows:

ChinAfrica: What are the latest developments in China-Liberia relations?

Ren Yisheng: China established diplomatic ties with Liberia, the first republic on the African continent, on February 17, 1977. Despite some setbacks, the bilateral relations have witnessed smooth development since the two countries resumed diplomatic ties in 2003. China, following the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests, has carried out fruitful practical cooperation with Liberia over the years.

In recent years, the political mutual trust between the two countries has been continuously enhanced with the high-level exchanges maintaining strong momentum. A series of tangible results have been achieved through bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the fields of political, economic, security, and people-to-people exchanges. The Chinese Government has also dispatched peacekeeping forces, military observers and civilian police to join the UN peacekeeping operations in Liberia, making great contribution to its peace and stability. After the resumption of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the Liberian legislature passed into law a resolution upholding the one-China policy, which has significantly consolidated the political foundation of the diplomatic relations.

In 2018, Liberian President George Manneh Weah headed a high-level delegation to attend the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit has further reinforced the subsisting friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries. In 2021, President Weah sent a congratulatory letter to President Xi, extending his best wishes on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Since taking office in 2018, President Weah attended the National Day receptions held by the Chinese embassy every year. In his remarks, he praised China’s great development achievements, spoke highly of the brotherly friendship between the two countries, extended his deep appreciation for China’s significant contribution to the development of Liberia. He also hoped the two sides could further strengthen cooperation under the frameworks of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Liberia’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).

What are the highlights of China-Liberia relations?

In recent years, with the joint efforts of both countries, the Eight Major Initiatives of the FOCAC Beijing Summit have brought real benefits to the governments and peoples of both countries. Some important projects that are widely recognized in Liberia have been dedicated, including the Ministerial Complex, two annexes to the Capitol Building, 50 bore wells for the rural schools, and the new terminal of the Roberts International Airport.

Among them, the China-aided Ministerial Complex was the second-largest building project then undertaken by China in Africa when it was completed in 2019. It has become an important venue for holding international conferences and other large-scale events. The China-aided SKD Sports Complex serves as a venue for important international and domestic competitions and mass gatherings. There are more projects under construction, including two overpass bridges on Tubman Boulevard, Somalia Drive - Sinkor Road and Bridge Project and the Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Lab of the 14th Military Hospital in Monrovia.

China-aided human resources development is another important part of China-Liberia cooperation, which has trained a lot of young people from all walks of life for Liberia. Each year, the Chinese Government provides about 50 full scholarships, hundreds of short-term training opportunities and more than 100 Chinese Ambassador’s Scholarships to Liberian citizens. As of 2021, China has provided Liberians more than 570 Chinese Government scholarships and more than 1,000 short-term training opportunities in China, and dispatched experts to Liberia to provide vocational training in different areas.

The Chinese Government has also provided technical assistance on bamboo and rattan weaving, vegetable planting, mineral resources survey, broadcasting, sports facility maintenance etc., and constructed an agricultural demonstration center to show the local people how to cultivate cassava, hybrid rice and hybrid maize and so on. These training programs have helped cultivate more than 2,500 technical experts in agriculture, sports, radio and television, geology and other fields, which in turn has greatly boosted youth employment and economic growth.

Chinese Ambassador to Liberia Ren Yisheng (second left) and Liberian President George Manneh Weah (center) attend a handover ceremony of Chinese-aided anti-epidemic supplies in Monrovia, Liberia, on May 4, 2021 (COURTESY)

What is the role of China-Liberia relations in the overall landscape of China-Africa cooperation?

Liberia is rich in natural resources and is an important partner of China in the fields of mining, forestry and fishery. Located on the West African coast, the country enjoys significant geographical advantages with many good natural harbors. It is the world’s second-largest country for ship registration and boasts of convenient sea transportation channel for importing and exporting goods. As the gateway to the Economic Community of West African States, it has great market potential and provides an excellent maritime route for Chinese enterprises to enter Africa and implement the BRI.

The mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Liberia is an important part of China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. In the first half of 2021, bilateral trade volume was $2.51 billion and China’s investment in Liberia was $12.13 million.

The Liberian market is not that large, with 19 Chinese state-owned and state-holding companies in sectors such as mining, construction, information and communication, and logistics. About 50 private Chinese businesses are active in sectors such as groceries, clothing and building materials.

How does Liberia benefit from China-Africa cooperation mechanisms?

Liberia is a participant in and contributor to cooperation mechanisms such as FOCAC and the BRI. In 2018, President Weah visited China and attend the FOCAC Beijing Summit. In 2019, Liberian Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Nathaniel McGill attended the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and signed a MOU for cooperation on the BRI. In 2020, Liberia became a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, adding a new driver for economic and trade cooperation between China and Liberia.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the heads of state of both countries, China’s BRI has been well aligned with Liberia’s PAPD. Practical cooperation in agriculture, education, people-to-people exchanges, pandemic prevention and control, and other sectors has yielded fruitful results.

Notably, most major infrastructure projects in Liberia, such as the 180-km road from Monrovia to Gbarnga, the upgrade and expansion of Roberts International Airport and the upgrading of the container yard in the Freeport of Monrovia, were implemented by Chinese companies. It can be said that these China-Africa cooperation mechanisms have made great contributions to the sustainable development of Liberia.

What are the prospects for future China-Liberia relations?

With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging around the world, China-Liberia cooperation will face a lot of opportunities together with challenges, but the opportunities outweigh the challenges. The Eighth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC held in Senegal in late 2021 has brought new opportunities for China-Liberia cooperation and will promote friendship between the two countries to a new level.

45 years on, we will work with the Liberian side under the frameworks of the new FOCAC blueprint, the BRI and the Global Development Initiative and further strengthen the strategic alignment with the PAPD. We will continue to uphold the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and continue to promote friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.



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