Dominica and Chinese Govts hold bilateral talks

Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit met with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier today for bilateral and trade talks.

In a post on social media, Skerrit said: “We discussed our long-standing relationship and pledged commitment to deepening the friendship between our two countries through vigorous exchanges and further cooperation in various fields.”

The Chinese Government news agency reported Xi expressed the communist nation’s willingness to work with Dominica to synergise “their development strategies and turn the friendly relations into a driving force for win-win cooperation.”

Xi hailed Dominica as a “trustworthy good friend and partner of China in the region” and an important country in the Caribbean.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit in Beijing, China, March 25, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Xi said China stands ready to support Dominica on its path to development and will assist by sharing experience, expertise and funding in some instances.

More scholarships will be made available to Dominican students as Xi said China is willing to promote more cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The Dominican prime minister is in China for an official visit to mark 20 years of diplomatic relations with Beijing after ditching Taiwan.

Today was a busy day for Skerrit as he also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and the Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, Zhao Leji.

Zhao told the prime minister that he wanted Dominica to join China in implementing the Global Development Initiative, which is a Chinese led project aimed at assisting nations to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.