China and Suriname have agreed to deepen their cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, as Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi in Beijing on Friday.
President Santokhi is on a state visit to China from April 11 to 17. During the meeting, President Xi expressed China’s readiness to work with Suriname to further consolidate political mutual trust, enhance economic and trade relations, and expand people-to-people exchanges.
“China is willing to collaborate with Suriname in areas such as trade and investment, agriculture, energy, mining, infrastructure construction, and the digital economy,” said President Xi. He welcomed more high-quality specialty products from Suriname into the Chinese market.
Highlighting Suriname as one of the first Caribbean countries to establish a strategic partnership and sign a cooperation plan under the Belt and Road Initiative with China, President Xi noted that the two nations have become a model of South-South cooperation. He emphasized the importance of cultural ties, mentioning that Suriname has one of the largest overseas Chinese communities in the Caribbean and was the first country in the Western Hemisphere to adopt the Chinese New Year as an official holiday.
President Xi expressed China’s commitment to working with developing countries, including Suriname, to strengthen multilateral coordination, safeguard common interests, and promote the building of a global community with a shared future. He added that China attaches great importance to developing relations with Caribbean countries and will continue to support their economic and social development.
President Santokhi reaffirmed Suriname’s firm adherence to the one-China principle and support for China’s national reunification. “We are ready to expand cooperation in trade and investment, green development, and climate action,” he said, expressing a desire to further deepen the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership.
Suriname supports the Belt and Road Initiative and global initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative proposed by President Xi. President Santokhi expressed willingness to promote the development of ties between Caribbean countries and China.
Following their talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in fields including trade and investment, green development, education, and the digital economy.
Reference(s):
President Xi: China ready to deepen cooperation with Suriname
cgtn.com
