-Seeks Chinese collaboration infrastructure development
By Francis Pelenah, Jr. in Beijing (nahba2006@yahoo.ie)
Liberia’s Foreign Minister Gbehzohngar Milton Findley says infrastructure and agriculture advancement are at the core of Liberia’s engagement with the Peoples Republic of China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Liberia recently signed onto the BRI, the Chinese Government’s International Development Assistance and Bilateral Cooperation Program.
The CDC government of President George Manneh Weah has embarked upon major infrastructure development programs and Minister Findley believes such task will need deeper collaboration and mutual partnership with countries such as China.
He said Liberia will be pushing for investment and assistance also in the agriculture sector particularly in enhancing the value chain in food production.
According to Minister Findley, development assistance in those key areas will drive the economy to a new level and help improve the conditions of the ordinary and less fortunate in Liberia.
The Liberian Foreign Minister was speaking in an interview Monday in Beijing China on sidelines of a follow-up meeting on the implementation of the action plan from the 2018 Forum on China Africa Cooperation.
The Beijing summit in September last year, brought China-Africa relations to a new high when Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a new development package of 60 billion dollars for Africa.
About fifty four African Foreign Ministers and Representatives of governments are in the Chinese Capital for the two day meeting.
The Ministers are meeting with key Chinese stakeholders both in the public and private sectors to coordinate the implementation of important consensus reached by the leaders of China and African countries at the FOCAC summit.
The meeting started Monday with a dialogue Between Executives of Chinese Financial Institutions and African Foreign Ministers and Representatives of Governmens.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Vice President of China Development Bank Zhang Xuguang thanked the continent for its special relationship with China.
Mr. Zhang said his institution will increase its support to small and medium size enterprises in Africa in the coming years adding “there are no major strains attached to our engagements. Once they are mature projects, we will support it”.
The relationship between China and Africa has undergone profound and complicated changes over the years making the country the single largest trade and bilateral partner for governments on the continents.