Caribbean ties boosted by new center

China launched a development center with Caribbean countries on Wednesday as Beijing looks to step up cooperation on poverty alleviation, food security, pandemic response and green development with the region.

The China-Caribbean Development Center, which was unveiled in Jinan city in Shandong province, will serve as a catalyst for more high-standard and sustainable cooperation projects to enhance the well-being of people in the Caribbean, said Xie Feng, vice-minister of foreign affairs, during the launch ceremony.

The center, first proposed by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a meeting with ministers of Latin American and Caribbean states in December, represented part of broader efforts to forge an even closer community with a shared future between the two sides.

Yu Haitian, mayor of Jinan, said during the ceremony that the center will seek to amplify the city's strength in resources and bolster cooperation with Caribbean nations in poverty reduction, food security, development funding, climate action, the digital economy and connectivity.

The center will serve as a bond to bring together local governments, businesses and individuals and contribute to the development of emerging sectors in the Caribbean, including digital infrastructure, communication equipment, 5G, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, he said.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesman with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a news briefing on Wednesday that the launch of the center is intended to promote the implementation of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Global Development Initiative.

"China and the Caribbean nations are good friends, partners and brothers sharing the same ideals," Zhao said.

As this year marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China's diplomatic ties with Caribbean nations, the future of the two sides has never been so closely intertwined as today, he said.

The ceremony on Wednesday also saw the donation of medical supplies from the center to Caribbean nations and the launch of a training program on the fishing sector between China and Guyana.

Antonia Hugh, the Jamaican ambassador to China, said the Caribbean now has to contend with external shocks, import dependence, limited resources and export bases and climate change－challenges that have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We appreciate this center for the promise it holds for collaboration, policy dialogue and as a means of formulating solutions to our most intractable development challenges," he said. He also expressed appreciation for China's donation of mobile vaccination units, 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses, medical equipment and supplies to Jamaica.

Anyin Choo, Guyana's ambassador to China, said during the ceremony that the cooperation project announced by Beijing in recent months is "illustrative of the commitment to the advancement of the region by the Chinese side".

Zhao Ruixue and Liu Chuan in Jinan contributed to this story.