On December 15, the Chinese embassy in Liberia successfully held the first event of the Dialogue Events to Consolidate Peace, Stability and Development in Liberia initiated by the diplomatic corp in Liberia around Liberia's 2023 general election. Chinese Ambassador H.E. Ren Yisheng delivered a keynote speech entitled “Strengthened Development Cooperation for Sustainable Result”. Nearly 100 people attended the event offline or online, including Her Excellency Chief Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, Hon. Dr. Bhofal Chambers, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Conmany B. Wesseh, Co-Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Senate, Hon. Varney A. Sirleaf, Minister of Internal Affairs, Professor Dr. Ansu Soni, Minister of Education, Hon. Ruth Coker Collins, Minister of Public Works, Hon. Norwu G. Howard, Acting Minister of Health, Hon. Tanneh G. Brunson, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Naomi Gray, Assistant Minister for Afro-Asia Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and representatives of other government departments such as the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Acting Doyen  of the Diplomatic Corps in Liberia Ambassador of Lebanon, and Ambassadors or chargé d'affaires of South Africa, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, the United States, the United Kingdom, Resident Coordinator of the UNDP and Acting UN resident coordinator, Country Representative of WFP and representatives of other international organizations in Liberia, and representatives from Liberian relevant political parties, University of Liberia, Liberia Council of Churches, youth groups and Liberia-China friendship associations. Mr. Li Jiang, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy chaired the event.   

Ambassador Ren elaborated on the concept of development, the significance of development to peace and stability, how to achieve development, China's development experience, strengthening economic cooperation, and realizing sustainable development in  Liberia. Ambassador Ren emphasized the importance of the “people-centered development philosophy”, and that developing countries should follow a development path that suits their national conditions and put the realization of the rights to subsistence and development at the top of the list. He pointed out that there is neither a single model of modernization nor a universal standard of modernization in the world. For African countries including Liberia, it’s neither about “looking West, nor looking East”,  rather about “looking developmental”.

Ambassador Ren vividly introduced the great achievements in China's economy, society and reform since the founding of the People's Republic of China and the reform and opening up, especially since China entered a new era after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) through detailed data, illustrations and videos.  He said that the secret of China’s success in economic and social development and advancement lies in the strong leadership of the CPC, adhering to the people-centered development concept, taking a Chinese path to modernization, adhering to reform and opening up, being down-to-earth, working hard and persevering, emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts.

Ambassador Ren emphasized that Liberia is rich in natural resources, advantageous in natural conditions and her population is mainly young people. More efforts should be made and cooperation should be strengthened at national, regional and international levels to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union's “Agenda 2063” and the “Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development”. Ambassador Ren put forward suggestions for Liberia's economic and social development, including scientific development concepts, infrastructure, agricultural development, industrial park construction, natural resource development and utilization, legal and business environment, youth development, tourism and urban development, and introduced China's investment in Liberia, aid , people-to-people and cultural exchanges and other cooperation. Ambassador Ren's speech was comprehensive, detailed and vivid, which was warmly received and welcomed by the participants.  

In her speech, H.E.Vice President Taylor thanked China for its strong support in infrastructure construction, economic and trade investment, education and human resources during the transformation of Liberia, and emphasized that China has always been a staunch partner of Liberia, and the Liberian government cherishes this friendship and has always firmly adhered to the one-China principle. She called on all walks of life to make concerted efforts to maintain peace and stability in Liberia, emphasizing that the development of Liberia will eventually return to the ancient Chinese adage that "giving a man a fish is worse than teaching him to fish" and Liberia will focus on improving the quality of human resources and gradually achieve self-sufficiency.   

Hon. Speaker Chambers, Hon. Wesser, Hon. Brunson and Hon. Gray delivered speeches respectively to congratulate the opening of the first event of the dialogue events, thanked China for its outstanding contribution to the peace and development process of Liberia, and believed that the forum will become an international platform to promote peace, stability and development of Liberia and even the entire West African region.  

When Minister Sirleaf made a keynote speech on behalf of the Liberian side, he thanked China as a responsible major country for its important contribution to the post-war development and reconstruction of Liberia, and the outcomes of China's assistance are obvious to all. He emphasized that the Liberian government respects the political views of all parties, and called on all sectors of Liberia to work together to further promote national reconciliation, effectively resolve border issues, strengthen agricultural development, and work together to achieve a peaceful, fair and transparent general election next year.

German Ambassador to Liberia H.E. Jacob Haselhuber and Resident  Representative of the President of ECOWAS Commission in Liberia H.E. Josephine Nkrumah expressed their appreciation to the Chinese Embassy in Liberia for their positive contributions to the forum, and introduced the purpose of launching the dialogue forum, emphasizing the close relationship between peace, stability and development, with a plan to hold 11 series of dialogues before the general elections in October 2023 to ensure the smooth holding of the general elections in 2023 and take this opportunity to promote the economy of Liberian social development. They expressed that China has made great achievements in poverty alleviation in the past few decades, which vividly demontrated the essence of development, and believed that China's development experience will surely provide beneficial enlightenment and reference for Liberia and other African countries to better use their own resources, better distribute economic achievements, and achieve self-sufficiency.

In the dialogue session, Director General of Liberia News Agency, UNDP Resident Coordinator, Nigerian ambassador and representatives of non-governmental organizations made comments or raised questions. Ambassador Ren, Speaker Chambers and ministers of relevant departments of Liberia answered the questions.

More than a dozen mainstream media, including Liberia News Agency, the Analyst, the Inquirer, Heritage, and Daily Observer, made live coverage of the event and reported extensively afterwards.