Jointly Ushering in a New Chapter of China-Jamaica Relations

At the invitation of Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, H.E. WANG Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, will be paying an official visit to Jamaica.

 Both sides will exchange views on China-Jamaica relations, bilateral cooperation on various fields, as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.

The forthcoming visit, which will be Mr. Wang’s first trip abroad in 2024, marks the first offline high-level interaction between China and Jamaica since the pandemic. This visit will further enrich our relations, promote bilateral pragmatical cooperation and drive forward the China-Jamaica strategic partnership. Minister Wang Yi’s trip to Jamaica marks a new milestone in the history of bilateral relations.

If you have a friend afar who knows your heart, distance can’t keep you two apart. Despite the geographical distance, China and Jamaica are good friends and partners sharing the same vision. Jamaica is the first English-speaking Caribbean country that has established a strategic partnership and signed the cooperation plan on jointly promoting the Belt and Road Initiative with China.

 Thanks to the leadership and personal inputs by leaders of both countries, China-Jamaica relations have been marching ahead at a prudent pace, with deepened political mutual trust, constantly improved pragmatical cooperation and increasingly closer people-to-people exchanges. This has been the way since the establishment of diplomatic relations 51 years ago. It is a good example of friendly exchanges between developing countries.

From a global perspective, international political disturbances and military conflicts are pervasive. Global development and security situations are becoming more complicated, revealing that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change. Despite difficulties, we are in high spirits, ready to move forward. Chinese people have embarked on a new path to advance the rejuvenation of their country on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. At the same time, Jamaica is on its journey to “Re-igniting a Nation for Greatness”. Mr. Wang’s visit is timely and extraordinary as the two visions and two great paths converge.

The visit will bring precious opportunities to consolidate strategic mutual trust. In recent years, leaders of the two countries have interacted closely and drawn a new blueprint for the future of the Chinese-Jamaican strategic partnership. Both countries give firm support and understanding to each other on issues core interests and major concerns. Mr. Wang’s visit will mark a re-ignition of offline high-level interactions between our two countries and provide important opportunities to further enhance our strategic exchange. Both countries should cherish this visit and maintain the strong growth momentum of the China-Jamaica strategic partnership.

The visit will inject new impetus for mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation. Remaining unchallenged, China is the second  largest trading partner of Jamaica. The year 2023 saw a year-on-year increase of 24.8% totalling US$1.172 billion worth of trade from January to November. The cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative has been constantly making breakthroughs. During this visit, two countries will reach more consensus across fields including infrastructure cooperation. They will both seek to promote bilateral pragmatical cooperation and deliver concrete benefits to the two countries and two peoples.

There is a strong desire to restart the people-to-people exchanges. The friendship between China and Jamaica is higher than the Blue Mountains, and deeper than the Caribbean Sea. This year marks the 170^th anniversary of the first group of Chinese people arriving in Jamaica. In the past century, people with Chinese family ancestry have been deeply integrated into Jamaican society and laid a solid foundation for China-Jamaica people-to-people friendship. 

In recent years, with strong support from two governments and a common vision, people-to-people exchanges between our two countries have yielded fruitful results. During this visit, both sides will explore ways to further strengthen people-to-people cooperation and to further promote exchanges between our cultures. 

Minister Wang Yi will outline a shared future for mankind. The concept echoes the sentiments of the “Out of Many, One People” motto in Jamaica. In spite of distinct national conditions, our countries and peoples are tightly bonded by this highly connected vision. Facing the ever increasing global challenges, China and Jamaica, both as developing countries, ought to support each other. 

Mr. Wang will bring greetings and salutations from President Xi Jinping and his call for a shared future for mankind, reiterating China’s firm stance to stay with Jamaica going forward.

Dear Jamaican friends, opportunities and challenges lay ahead in the new era. Heavy responsibilities await us on the new journey. My hometown is in Shandong province of China, where Yellow River, known as China’s “mother river”, pours gloriously into the sea. I firmly believe that the development of history flows the same way–even more magnificently when it faces ups and downs. Mr. Wang comes to Jamaica with a sincere wish to enhance mutual trust, a vision for common development and the profound understanding of long-lasting China-Jamaica friendship. We are reflective when looking back and confident looking ahead. This visit will spur further development and lead to a new era in the China-Jamaica relationship heralding a brighter future. Let’s march ahead with a firm heart ,building communities with a shared future for mankind and jointly usher in a new chapter of China-Jamaica relations.