Ghana/China explores new opportunities for faster development

Accra, Dec 12, GNA - Mr YU Wenzhe, Chinese Ambassador, on Friday said the two countries are exploring new opportunities for faster developments as the world undergoes unprecedented changes and adjustment. The new opportunities include upholding the two countries' common interest through strengthened coordination, enhanced economic cooperation, and more frequent cultural exchanges, the Chinese Ambassador said at the 10th anniversary of Ghana-China Friendship Association (GHACHIFA) in Accra. GHACHIFA seeks to foster friendly relations and non-governmental co-operation between the people of both countries, and promote people to people exchanges, collaborations for joint ventures, cultural exchanges, joint trade missions, networking and business contacts and educational exchange programmes.

It also seeks to strengthen the bilateral relations between the governments of both countries.

Mr Wenzhe reiterated China's eight-point developmental agenda for Ghana and Africa, which was out-door at the just-ended Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

The developmental agenda dubbed the "Sharm El Sheikh Declaration" and the three-year "Action Plan for Sharm El-Sheikh" (2010-2012) defines new measures in pushing forward the China-Africa cooperation. He said the agenda highlights China's work to increase the volume of aid to Africa, the reduction of debt owed by African countries, maximizing the investment in the African continent, opening more markets, and the promotion of scientific cooperation with Africa.

Mr Wenzhe said China's relationship with Ghana and the rest of the world was based on the principle of mutual respect and equality."it is driven by our joint endeavour to peruse mutually-beneficial cooperation and common development. We treat each other as friends, brothers and equal partners".

Tracing the friendship between the two countries to the era of Ghana's first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, he said, after the Beijing Summit in 2006, the two countries had through their relationship obtained good results in the various fields.

He said considering the volume of trade between the two countries, it had become quite necessary for the citizens to learn the language, culture, customs and practices of each country.

Mr Wenzhe appealed to Ghanaian ministries and authorities to continue improving the business environment, in order to attract more foreign cooperation and investment, and challenged Chinese companies to share their business success with the local community.

He assured the GHACHIFA of the embassy's support to strengthen the relationship and announced a 4,000 US Dollar package to promote the association's operations.

He lauded the achievement of the Association within a short period of ten years, which included promoting the mutual interest of the two countries, supporting China's sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity issues.

"You have offered assistance for both Chinese and Ghanaians in their bilateral business activities. Organised seminars and forums on topical issues and expression of sympathy to the victims of Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, fully reflects friendly sentiments of Ghanaians towards Chinese," Mr Wenzhe stated.

Mr John Emmanuel Kwamina Moses, GHACHIFA Vice President said the Association seeks to build a vibrant relationship with China not only at the government to government level, but improve upon the person to person relationship and exploit all positive opportunities. He said the Association had organised landmark events calculated to help foster friendship between the two nations and seeks to concretise arrangement for culture, business and social programmes. Mr Moses said the Association is to consolidate the 40 years of diplomatic relations and co-operation between the two countries with the "profound" traditional friendship between both countries. The vision of GHACHIFA, he said, was to become a vibrant organisation throughout the country, because Ghana could learn from the remarkable way China does things.

"The bilateral relations have been strengthened and deepened in political, economic, cultural and other fields in recent times. It is our belief that the establishment of Ghana-China Friendship Association will play a positive role in further promoting friendship and collaboration between China and Ghana," he added.

He appealed to the business community to evaluate their capacities to be able to operate in the global economy.

He noted that most opportunities for Ghanaians to forge partnerships with Chinese investors in the past had been wasted, because entrepreneurs do not have the requisite know-how to match Chinese investors. 12 Dec. 09