By Amin Kef (Ranger)
In a Face to Face with China, a Press reception program hosted by Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Sierra Leone held on the 10th May, 2023 at China House in Freetown , H.E. Ambassador Wang Qing, delivered a statement mainly bordering on the bilateral relationship between China and Sierra Leone .
In attendance were the Minister of Trade and Industry-Hon. Edward Hinga Sandy, Chairman of Sierra Leone-China Friendship Society -Soko M. Kai-Samba, President of Sierra Leone China Friendship Association (SilCha)-Onike King, Chairman of Sierra Leone China Foundation-Mohamed Kamara, President of Sino-Sierra Leone Alumni Association (SISLAA)-Dr. Alfaeus Koroma and a cross section of journalists from various Media Houses
H.E. Ambassador Wang Qing expressed his pleasure to meet with all those in attendance saying it is a good opportunity for all to renew the friendship and exchange views on issues of common interest, thanking all for their continued efforts in promoting China-Sierra Leone friendship.
He intimated that since the beginning of this year there have been three major events in China mentioning the “two sessions” held in March referencing the National People Congress (NPC), and the session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) which he informed is the consultative body.
According to him at the NPC session,the new state leaders were elected saying H.E. Xi Jinping was unanimously reelected President of the People’s Republic of China, reflecting the common will of the Chinese people.
The Ambassador further disclosed that the Chinese economy is expected to expand by 5.2% this year and to contribute 34.9% to global growth adding how it is believed that the vibrant Chinese economy will inject more vitality into the world economic recovery.
He said secondly, China has adjusted its policies on the prevention and control of the epidemic, injecting new energy into China and bringing new opportunities to the world.
“As a result, people’s life has returned to normal at an accelerated pace, and the economic vitality and development potential have been fully released, injecting more confidence and strength to drive the world economic recovery” the Ambassador stated.
He said thirdly, China’s diplomacy has pressed the ‘accelerator button, making new contributions to world peace and development highlighting the visit to China of high profiled international personalities.
The Ambassador told the audience that China has also released the Concept Paper on Global Security Initiative, the document on China’s position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and the document on China’s position on Afghanistan, and the Global Civilization Initiative.
He dilated on how China’s position on the Ukraine issue is understood by more and more countries saying people have realized that China does not inflame or take advantage of the situation but rather has taken an impartial stance and pushed for peace talks in order to reduce the pressure and lower the temperature around the crisis.
He maintained that China and Sierra Leone are good friends, good brothers and good partners adding that after 52 years of development since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China-Sierra Leone relations have reached a historical high point and become a model of China-Africa relations and South-South cooperation.
“The healthy development of China-Sierra Leone relations cannot be achieved without the support of the people of both countries,” the Ambassador noted adding how for a long time, Sierra Leone-China Friendship Society, Sierra Leone China Friendship Association, Sierra Leone China Foundation, Sino-Sierra Leone Alumni Association and the media have made important contributions to maintaining the traditional friendship between China and Sierra Leone, enhancing mutual understanding and promoting cooperation between the two sides.
He acknowledged that the Sierra Leone China Friendship Association, under the impetus of Ms Maria Kargbo, has always been promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.
According to him, the program, “Small Small Chinese” has been well received by the public disclosing how the Sierra Leone China Foundation has been organizing events to spread the message of friendship among the grassroots level across different parts of Sierra Leone.
He said in order to further enhance mutual understanding and deepen friendship and cooperation between the two countries, he would like to make the following suggestions: The need to hold their original mission and commit themselves to the friendship between China and Sierra Leone.
Secondly, Ambassador Wang Qing talked about the need to promote mutual understanding and show the people of Sierra Leone an objective and real China. He said since his arrival, he has found that the general public in Sierra Leone is very interested in China and wants to know more about it but however, due to limited ways, their perception of China is often influenced by some Western media’s inaccurate reports on China.
Thirdly, the need to make full use of their advantages to tell the successful story of China-Sierra Leone friendship and cooperation.
The Ambassador concluded by maintaining that China-Sierra Leone friendship is a precious treasure that has been tested by years and needs to be cherished together enjoining all to work together to add more and more bricks to the building of the friendship and be the guardian of it forever.
Other speakers in their statements made salient contributions as to how to strengthen the bilateral relationship with a question and answer session forming the highpoint of the engagement.
