On January 20, 2024 local time, Jamaican Prime Minister Holness met in Kingston with visiting member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Many Jamaican government cabinet ministers including foreign affairs, finance, health, and infrastructure also participated.
Holness said that in 2009, I had the honor to receive the then Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping’s visit to Jamaica. During my visit to China in 2019, I jointly announced with President Xi Jinping that the relationship between Jamaica and China would be upgraded to a strategic partnership, which left an unforgettable memory. It also injects strong impetus into bilateral relations. Please convey my sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping.
China did not hesitate to lend a helping hand when Jamaica encountered difficulties. The pragmatic cooperation between the two sides has strongly supported Jamaica's economic development and improvement of people's livelihood, and vividly demonstrated China's sincere willingness to help developing countries.
On behalf of the people of Jamaica, I would like to express my sincere gratitude.
Jamaica will continue to firmly adhere to the one-China policy, prioritize Jamaica-China relations, and is committed to building a strong strategic partnership between Jamaica and China. It looks forward to expanding cooperation in various fields between Jamaica and China and attracting more Chinese investment.
Wang Yi conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings, expressing China's appreciation for Jamaica's firm pursuit of friendly policies towards China and its adherence to the one-China principle, and its gratitude to Jamaica for understanding and supporting China in safeguarding its core interests.
The long-term, healthy and stable development of China-Jamaica relations is attributed to the fact that both sides have always respected and supported each other.
China advocates the equality of all countries, big or small, and adheres to the democratization of international relations. It never interferes in the internal affairs of any country, never engages in geopolitical competition, and never forces other countries to choose sides.
We respect Jamaica's choice of a system and way of life with its own characteristics, support Jamaica in safeguarding sovereignty, independence and national dignity, and support Jamaica in playing a more important role in regional and international affairs.
Wang Yi said that Jamaica is the first Caribbean country to sign the "Belt and Road" cooperation memorandum with China and the first country in the Western Hemisphere to sign the "Belt and Road" cooperation plan. The two countries have achieved fruitful results and have broad prospects in jointly building the "Belt and Road".
We look forward to strengthening the docking of development strategies with Jamaica, expanding cooperation in economic and trade investment, new energy, agriculture, digital economy, blue economy, etc., intensifying people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and solidifying the public opinion foundation for China-Jamaica friendship.
Wang Yi introduced China's development achievements and centenary goals, saying that China is accelerating Chinese-style modernization and is willing to provide useful reference for developing countries that hope to achieve rapid development while maintaining independence. The two sides can share experience in state governance and achieve common development.
Holness said that Chinese-style modernization has set a benchmark for high-quality development.
Jamaica admires China's world-renowned development achievements and looks forward to learning from China's successful experience to achieve more efficient and equitable development.
I have witnessed with my own eyes that China adheres to the principle of equality and sincerely treats small and medium-sized countries. I firmly believe that China will continue to play a leading role in responding to global challenges. I look forward to continued support from China on issues such as enhancing the resilience of small island countries in dealing with climate change.
The two sides also exchanged views on deepening China-Caribbean cooperation.
On the same day, Wang Yi also held talks with Jamaican Foreign Minister Johnson-Smith.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs website)