Good evening! With the protocols already established, allow me to warmly welcome all our distinguished guests to this 25th anniversary reception.

On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in The Bahamas, I would like to express our sincere thanks to His Excellency Governor General Sir Cornelius A. Smith, and Lady Smith, to the Hon. Prime Minister Mr Philip E. Davis, and Mrs Ann Marie Davis, and the former Prime Ministers the Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham and the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie for making themselves available for this reception marking 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and The Bahamas.

Your presence is a special gesture of friendship that is greatly appreciated.

My thanks go to the Hon. Fred Mitchell and his capable team at the Foreign Ministry for co-hosting this reception.

I also would like to thank all the cabinet ministers, senior government officials and friends of all sectors of The Bahamas for joining us.

We have a lot to celebrate tonight when we look back on the journey we took together in the past quarter-century. It is only fitting that we recognize and thank all those who made outstanding contributions to the growth of our relations.

Twenty-five years ago in 1997, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham made the historic decision to establish diplomatic relations with China, which opened the door to the Bahamas’ relations with a fifth of humanity. 

We have a Chinese idiom: When you drink the water, don’t forget who dug the well. Former prime minister Ingraham is a trail blazer who dug the well along with Chinese leaders.

Former Prime Minister Perry Christie is also an old friend of China. Both the two former prime ministers visited China twice and developed a warm rapport with Chinese leaders. I’m truly impressed by Prime Minister Christie playing the role of a Chinese emperor in the Valley Boys junkanoo parade “from China to The Bahamas” in 2013.

The two former prime ministers between them initiated or facilitated many major projects between our countries in the past few decades.

The list of their accomplishments is long, from the Freeport container port to the northern Abaco port, from Thomas Robinson Stadium to the Airport Gateway, from the Baha Mar to the Pointe, projects that are still exerting a significant impact on the development of this country.

I wish to hereby extend our sincere thanks to former Prime Ministers the Rt Hon. Hubert Ingraham and the Rt Hon. Perry Christie for their vision, commitment and profound legacy for China-Bahamas relations.

We are glad to have another friend of China as the leader of The Bahamas. Prime Minister Philip Davis has supported and promoted closer ties with China through many years of his career. I have no doubt in my mind that the Hon. Prime Minister will seize his historic opportunity to leave his mark and legacy for Bahamas’ relations with China.

During the last FNM government, we continued with effective cooperation against hurricane Dorian and the pandemic. We are thankful for the congratulatory letter from Prime Minister Hubert Minnis to General Secretary Xi Jinping on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the Communist Party of China, which is much appreciated, and for his presence at the opening of the Pointe.

We have reasons to be hopeful that the two major political parties are united in understanding the need and working for good relations with China.

I must also extend my sincere thanks to generations of senior leaders, government officials and people of all walks of life in The Bahamas for their support to Bahamas-China relations.

At this pivotal moment, it is important to look at what connects us and made us strong and tested partners. The Bahamas government’s adherence to the one-China principle has laid the political foundation for the stable and healthy development of our relations.

We are both part of the global community with a shared future. The common desire for world peace and a sustainable future for our children, our common adherence to the principles of equality, mutual respect for sovereignty, and non-interference, and the common challenges we face from the pandemic to climate change have connected us more closely than ever before.

These commonalities have helped us to transcend the distance and differences that separate us and made us true friends.

We are partners for development. China-Bahamas relations have benefited both of our efforts to deliver a better life to our people. I can proudly say that whatever China does with The Bahamas, we always have the interests of your country in mind, and we always ask how we can best work with your agenda, rather than seeking to advance our own.

We are friends in need who look out for each other. When the Bahamas was hit by hurricanes, China would always extend a helping hand wherever we can. When the Chinese people encountered difficulties, the Bahamas expressed sympathy and support to us.

So far we have delivered eight batches of medical supplies and equipment to aid your fight against covid. We matched our commitment to be a reliable partner for The Bahamas with our deeds.

Eventually, what made our relationship strong has been the support from our people, which underpins our relations.

During my time so far in The Bahamas, I have felt for myself the friendship of the Bahamian people, and a pent-up demand for more exchanges and cooperation with China.

It is the Bahamian people who are the unsung heroes of this relationship. I want to thank Bahamian business leaders working to increase trade and investment; tourism operators wanting to welcome more Chinese tourists; artists promoting cultural exchanges and understanding between our countries; students hoping to get educated and experience a different culture in China; farmers eager to adopt Chinese farming techniques.

I must also recognize the special contributions made by hundreds of Bahamian Chinese to China-Bahamas friendship. Some of these families have been living here for close to a century. They work hard, love The Bahamas and give back to the local community, sowing the seeds of friendship between the two countries.

China-Bahamas relations at 25 are full of youthful vigor and potential for further growth. We are ready to work with Bahamian colleagues and friends to make new progress in our relations in the new day.

We would look to resume exchanges and mutual visits as soon as conditions permit. This year, China will hold the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party, and next year the Bahamas will celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence. We should increase communication and exchanges at the top level to further guide and facilitate our relations going forward.

We aim to create a solid platform for business cooperation. We will continue to hold trade and investment forums, build up direct channels for business interactions, and seek to increase direct trade by improving logistics. We do hope to see more made-in-China products at better prices to help reduce the cost-of-living for Bahamian consumers.

We hope to tap into the potential of cooperation in key areas of the blue, green and orange economies, such as tourism, agriculture, health, renewable energy and creative industries.

We must continue to deepen educational and cultural exchanges. We are proud to have offered scholarships to more than 150 Bahamian young people and training opportunities in China for hundreds of officials. We will certainly do more in this area.

I’m sure by working together, we can look forward to even stronger and closer China-Bahamas relationship in the next quarter-century, to the greater benefit of our peoples.

To conclude, allow me to propose a toast

To the prosperity of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and well-being of its people,

To ever growing relations between our countries,

To China-Bahamas friendship, and

To the health and happiness of all friends present!