By Amin Kef Sesay
In marking the 50th Anniversary of bilateral relationship between the Sierra Leone and China an Online Reception was held yesterday, the 29th July 2021 in which Honorable Speaker of Parliament Abass Bundu, the Chief of Justice, Desmond Babatunde Edwards, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Professor David Francis, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Respected Party leaders.
Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps and Chinese Compatriots participated.
The Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, H.E Hu Zhangliang welcomed all expressing his deep gratitude to all for taking time out of their busy schedule to attend the reception.
He revealed that to their greatest joy and excitement, H.E. President Xi Jinping and H.E. President Julius Maada Bio have exchanged messages of congratulations on such an important occasion also mentioning how the foreign ministers of the two countries did the same.
The Ambassador underscored that, in his congratulatory message, President Xi Jinping extended warm congratulations and best wishes on behalf of the Chinese Government and People and in his own name to H.E. President Bio and through President Bio to the friendly Government and People of Sierra Leone.
The Ambassador further disclosed how in the message, President Xi said that, “ despite changes in the international landscape, our two countries have always rendered each other understanding and support on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns. Our cooperation in the economic field and that related to people’s well-being has yielded fruitful results. In the face of the stern challenges posed by COVID-19, our peoples have stood with each other and assisted each other in pandemic response, demonstrating our brotherly bond, one that has seen us through thick and thin.”
H.E Hu Zhangliang intimated that President Xi also stated that he places great importance on China’s relations with Sierra Leone and look forward to working with President Bio to cement the friendship and mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, and promote further growth of the China-Sierra Leone comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership for the benefit of the two countries and its people.
“50 years ago, our great leaders and forefathers late Chairman Mao Zedong and late President Siaka Stevens made the historical decision to establish diplomatic ties between China and Sierra Leone,” he went down memory lane adding how over the past 50 years, through joint efforts of the two Governments and People, China-Sierra Leone friendly relations have grown rapidly and yielded notable results to the satisfaction and pride of both sides.
He continued y highlighting that the past 50 years witnessed the come-into-being of the Youyi Building, the National Stadium, the Mange Bridge, the Magbass Sugar complex, the RSLAF headquarters in the 1970s and 80s, the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Road, the Bo Stadium, the Jui Hospital, the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Middle School and Primary Schools, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office Building since 2000, and the second Juba Bridge, the Limkokwing-Regent Road, the Myohaung Officers’ Mess and Single Officers’ Quarters, the National Optical Fiber Backbone Network Phase Two and the newly started Foreign Service Academy etc. since 2018.
The Ambassador stated that the past 50 years witnessed the expansion of trade and economic cooperation disclosing that their bilateral trade volume reached 530 million USD last year and the accumulated direct investment from China to Sierra Leone reached 3 billion USD in 2020.
According to him, since 1973, the Chinese Government has dispatched more than 500 Chinese medical staff to Sierra Leone under the health assistance program and since1976, China has provided Government scholarships to over 1000 Sierra Leonean students for them to study in China saying since 1991, China has dispatched about 100 agricultural experts to Sierra Leone to provide technical training.
He informed participants that the past 50 years witnessed the development of the relations between the two countries into a strategic level disclosing how there have been close exchanges of high level visits between the two countries and frequent cultural exchanges between the two people.
“Our two sides have not only deepened bilateral cooperation but also cooperated in appropriately addressing international and regional issues,” he stated furthering how they have supported each other not only in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity but also in promoting world peace, common development and international justice.
“50 years down the path, China-Sierra Leone friendship is full of vitality, presenting a flourishing and thriving scene,” the Ambassador noted.
He said on this auspicious occasion, he would like to express sincere gratitude and appreciation to all those in the two countries and other friends who have made important contributions to the development of China-Sierra Leone friendship, including all at the reception.
“I wish to say thank you to all the political parties, the successive Governments and Parliaments, the various social organizations and friends from all walks of life in Sierra Leone for their precious support to the development of China-Sierra Leone relations,” he again expressed gratitude.
The Ambassador attributed the remarkable achievements of China-Sierra Leone relations over the past 50 years to the natural result of mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual support and mutual benefit between the two sides.
He said in the past 50 years, China and Sierra Leone have always respected each other in choosing a development path that suits its own national conditions, never interfered into each other’s internal affairs and never imposed one’s will onto the other.
“China has never attached any political strings to its aid to Sierra Leone,” he said with pride adding how Sierra Leone has firmly adhered to the one-China principle.
He said the 50-year extraordinary journey of China-Sierra Leone relations would not have been so smooth and fruitful had it not been for the care from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the major political parties of Sierra Leone adding how this year also marks the 100thanniversary of the founding of the CPC.
In conclusion, H.E Hu Zhangliang proposed a toast to the good health of H.E. President Xi Jinping and H.E. President Julius Maada Bio,
to the prosperity of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Sierra Leone and the longevity of China-Sierra Leone friendship.
