The Honourable Donald Buchanan, Minister of Water and Housing,

Mrs. Genefa Hibbert, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water and Housing,

Members of the National Water Commission,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

 

It’s my pleasure to be at the Official Reception and Unloading Ceremony of the first batch of pipes and equipment from China under the Jamaican Water Systems Rehabilitation and Extension Project. Please allow me, on behalf of the Chinese Government and the Chinese project partner – China National Corporation for Overseas Economic Cooperation, to take this opportunity to extend my warm congratulations on the eagerly-expected arrival of this shipment.

 

As an island nation, water is of particular importance to the people’s livelihood and the economic development in Jamaica. With the growth of the population, especially the population in the rural areas, and the booming of the tourism industry, water has been in greater demand than ever, which, therefore, requires the rehabilitation and extension of existing water-supplying facilities.

 

The Chinese Government attaches great importance to Jamaica’s water system project, and has so far signed 3 Cooperation Agreements with the Jamaican Government since 1996 on the provision of pipes with a total of Rmb Yuan 240 million (USD 30 million). The first two Agreements had been successfully implemented respectively in 1997 and 2000, much to the satisfaction of the Jamaican side. This has provided a good foundation for both sides to continue with the 3^rd agreement. Based on the Concessional Loan Framework Agreement and the Loan Agreement signed in February 2004 and February 2005 respectively between the two governments, China National Corporation for Overseas Economic Cooperation has taken up the task to supply the pipes and equipment with a total amount of Rmb Yuan 100 million (USD 12.5 million) to implement the 3^rd Agreement. Today the first shipment valued at Rmb Yuan 20 million (USD 2.5 million) is with us here in Kingston.

 

At present, Sino-Jamaican relations are in excellent shape. The Year 2005 witnessed a rapid progress in our relations: the high-level visits of Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong to Jamaica in February 2005 and Prime Minister Patterson’s visit to China in June 2005 gave further impetus to the relations. The establishment of the Jamaican Embassy in China in July 2005 was a culmination of this relationship. Exchanges in the fields of economic and trade cooperation, culture, education, science and technology, tourism and sports have injected strong vigor and vitality to it. All these will push our friendly and cooperative relations to a higher plateau in the years to come.

 

Dear friends, with the New Year’s bell still ringing in our ears, we gather here to welcome the arrival of the first batch of pipes and equipment from China, which carries the profound friendship and good wishes for the New Year from the Chinese People to the Jamaican People. I am pretty sure that China National Corporation for Overseas Economic Cooperation will work together with the Jamaican National Water Commission to expedite the later shipments so that the Project could be completed at an early date.

 

Thank you.