Xi meets with Barbados PM

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2023. [Xinhua/Li Xueren]

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley in Beijing on Tuesday.

Xi said Barbados is the first country in the eastern Caribbean to establish diplomatic ties with China, and also a good friend and partner of China in the region. Although the two countries are separated by oceans, China and Barbados share similar goals and walk hand in hand, with bilateral relations constantly deepening and developing.

China is promoting Chinese modernization with high-quality development, which will bring new opportunities for Barbados' development and China-Barbados cooperation, Xi said.

China welcomes Barbados to board the "express train" of China's development, and to work with China to build a closer China-Barbados community with a shared future, he added.

Xi stressed that China and Barbados should deepen political mutual trust and continue to understand and support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns. China, as always, supports Barbados in safeguarding its national sovereignty and independence, and independently choosing its own development path. China stands ready to strengthen exchanges with Barbados' government, legislature and political parties, and enhance the sharing of governance experience.

"China and Barbados -- both developing countries -- share much in common in the field of development and enjoy great potential for cooperation," Xi said. He noted that the two sides should expand practical cooperation and take the Belt and Road Initiative as an opportunity to expand cooperation in fields such as infrastructure construction, the digital economy, climate change, new energy, agriculture and medical care.

China supports Chinese enterprises to cooperate with partners in Barbados, Xi said, adding that the two sides should also increase people-to-people and cultural exchanges and expand personnel exchanges.

Xi noted that facing profound global changes unseen in a century, developing countries should strengthen solidarity and cooperation, practice real multilateralism, oppose the Cold War mentality and camp confrontation, uphold the basic norms of international relations, safeguard international fairness and justice, and promote building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Noting that China fully understands the aspirations of Barbados and other small-island developing countries in the field of climate change, Xi said China will continue strengthening South-South cooperation on climate change and provide assistance and support for developing countries, including Barbados.

China attaches importance to its relations with the Caribbean from a strategic and long-term perspective, and will continue to provide assistance to the best of its ability for the economic and social development of the Caribbean, Xi said.

Mottley said she was deeply impressed by the solidarity and friendship she witnessed between Barbados and China through this visit. She thanked China for the valuable assistance it provided to Barbados during the COVID-19 pandemic and for its economic and social development. The Chinese government has made great achievements in eliminating poverty and benefiting the people -- achievements which are admired around the world, she said.

President Xi has put forward the Global Development Initiative, which demonstrates outstanding global leadership and is conducive to helping countries and people around the world achieve common development and prosperity, and better cope with global challenges, she said.

Mottley said Barbados firmly supports the one-China principle, and is willing to actively participate in the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative.

She also expressed the willingness to strengthen cooperation with China in such areas as climate change, water resources, narrowing the digital divide, and health care, saying that Barbados adheres to multilateralism, opposes "decoupling and breaking the chain," and is willing to continue promoting the development of relations between the Caribbean and China.

Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, was also present at the meeting.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 27, 2023. [Xinhua/Yao Dawei]