China and Suriname share broad prospects for cooperation in areas spanning agriculture and low carbon development, said Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the Republic of Suriname.
Santokhi paid a state visit to China on April 11-17, the first in his presidency, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Suriname was one of the earliest Caribbean countries to establish diplomatic ties with China. In 2018, China and Suriname signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly building the Belt and Road, a global connectivity and infrastructure initiative.
In an interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Santokhi spoke highly of the state visit, calling for advanced bilateral cooperation.
"This state visit is an expression of the historical bond [that] we have as 170 years of relations, 48 years of diplomatic relations, [and] the Belt and Road. I think this state visit is expressing that historical relation. But on the other side, that is also expressing that we two leaders and we two nations, and we can differ in size, there can be a long distance between Suriname and China, but that these two leaders are in full agreement that the cooperation and relation should enter a new era, that it should be brought to another level, the next level. On one hand, confirming once again the cooperation and the traditional areas of cooperation to culture, to trade, the business, the people-to-people contact, tourism. Other side, given the new challenges in the world that we need to identify new avenues of cooperation," said Santokhi.
China has been working to support Suriname as it improves agricultural practices to boost productivity and sustainability, drastically impacting the lives of rural residents who make up about a third of its population.
The Suriname Agricultural Technical Cooperation Center, erected with aid from China in the country's capital of Paramaribo, exemplifies this commitment. Since its inauguration in November 2023, the center has already trained over 100 Surinamese farmers.
"We signed a lot of agreements in the area of food security. There is Chinese technical assistance program at this moment continuing in the district of Saramacca, where the technical team of China is using high tech to develop the agriculture, but moreover training the local community -- how they can increase the food production, how new types of crops can be cultivated, which are having better quality, which are also resistant against diseases," he said.
As part of Suriname's commitment to the UN's 2030 initiative for promoting clean energy, China has been helping the country's rural residents in the lower reaches of the Suriname River to build hybrid power plants.
The first hybrid power station was built in June last year, with the second plant set to be completed by the end of 2024. The fifth plant will be finished in 2025.
According to Santokhi, these efforts are vital not just for Suriname, but for a wider effort to fight climate change.
"The other issue is the issue of climate change. Those are global issues. And I just had a meeting with the Forestry Cooperation of China where we agreed that we should have also cooperation and getting technical support and technical assistance for the sustainable forest management and sustainable forest policy. As a country, we are a carbon sink nation and 93 percent of our territories are covered with forest. We want to keep that, but we needed technical assistance. So those are the new areas of cooperation, but also based on the Belt and Road to have new infrastructure programs and projects implemented in my country, and also putting the corporation in a more regional perspective," he said.
New areas of cooperation to bring relations with China to next level: Surinamese President
New areas of cooperation to bring relations with China to next level: Surinamese President
