BY Mr Ding Yonghua, Charge d’affaires of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
NOT long ago when I was paying a visit to the Western Province, I took a boat ride from Munda to Gizo. It was near the Ferguson Passage when the boat was caught in stormy waves, and the situation was perilous. Thanks to the shared spirit of endurance and partnership among the passengers and crew members on board, the boat finally overcame the challenges and safely landed us at the destination.
Now the giant ship of the international community is also confronting the challenges of rising regional conflicts, hindered sustainable development agenda, and the growing backlash against anti-globalization. Chinese President Xi Jinping propounded the idea of building a global community of shared future, answering questions raised by history, and by the times, “What is happening to the world?”, “What should humanity do?” The idea is focusing on the well-being and prospects of all mankind, and calling for the cooperation and solidarity of the international community to navigate the giant ship to the shore of peace and prosperity.
Development is the key pillar for building a global community of shared future and effectively resolving challenges and conflicts. The Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) put forward by China holds the master key to solving development problems faced by the international community. It is a manifestation of China’s aspiration as an advocate of global governance and determination as an earnest actor. As one of the most important platforms for building a global community of the shared future, the BRI has become the most popular public goods offered by China within a decade of its debut.
By July 2023, more than three-quarters of countries in the world and more than 30 international organizations have signed cooperation agreements for the BRI. According to the “Belt and Road Economics” report released by the World Bank, the full implementation of the BRI will increase trade volume among participating countries by 4.1%. As estimated by the World Bank that by 2030, the BRI will bring an annual benefit of USD 1.6 trillion to the world, accounting for 1.3% of the global GDP. The BRI will forge a way of mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, prosperity and development in a fast-changing world and in a time of shifting dynamics.
Both China and Solomon Islands are developing countries and are faced with the same task of promoting economic development, improving people’s livelihood, and realizing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. After China and Solomon Islands established diplomatic relations in 2019, the two countries signed the memorandum of understanding on jointly building the BRI. Over the past four years, the BRI cooperation between the two countries has achieved fruitful results and created profound benefits for the people of the two countries.
The “hard connectivity” for infrastructure cooperation has yielded fruitful results. China is now the largest infrastructure partner to Solomon Islands. The PG2023 stadium and the SINU dormitory projects aided by China have become landmarks in Honiara, and a solid guarantee for Solomon Islands to host the great sports event. The Solomon Islands National Broadband Infrastructure Project has been successfully launched, and the 161 towers built by Chinese companies across the country will greatly improve the communication network and people’s access to internet service. In the near future, the China-aid comprehensive medical center in NRH will break the earth, in a bid to assist in the continuous upgrading of the infrastructure of Solomon Islands.
The “soft connectivity” for policy exchange has reached wide consensus. During Hon. Prime Minister Sogavare’s visit to China last July, he met and held fruitful discussions with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and other Chinese leaders. Both sides exchanged in-depth views and reached broad consensus on strengthening the synergy between the BRI and the 2035 National Development Strategy of Solomon Islands. During the visit, China and SI established a comprehensive strategic partnership and signed a series of cooperation documents covering development, trade, civil aviation, education, etc sectors. It symbolized China and SI had reached a higher level of communication on the connectivity of policy and action plans on building the BRI, and signaling a new direction for the in-depth development of China-SI BRI cooperation.
The “people-to-people connectivity” keeps emerging highlights. The Chinese Government Scholarship has provided Solomon Islands students with access to civil engineering, medicine, economics, public administration and other professions urgently needed by the development of Solomon Islands. China is committed to improving the health and medical conditions of Solomon Islands. We have donated medical supplies to SI and sent Chinese medical teams to local communities and remote islands. Not long ago, China Naval hospital ship Ark Peace visited Solomon Islands, and treated more than 10 thousand patients in merely one week. The sub-national cooperation is on the rise with multiple sister province and sister city relations forged, which is a boost to the fondness between our two peoples.
As an ancient Chinese saying goes, the ceaseless inflow of rivers makes the ocean deep. The Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will soon be convened in China. High-level delegations from more than 130 countries including Solomon Islands will attend the forum, drawing together the blueprint for high-quality BRI cooperation. China will continue to deepen the BRI cooperation with Solomon Islands based on the principle of equality, mutual respect, mutual benefits, and win-win cooperation, for a brighter future for the two countries.
PRESS RELEASE
