Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley in Beijing on Tuesday, calling on the two sides to foster a closer community with a shared future.

Xi extended a warm welcome to Mottley for attending the Summer Davos Forum as well as her visit to China.

Noting that Barbados is the first country in the Eastern Caribbean to establish diplomatic relations with China, Xi called Barbados a good friend and partner of China in the region. 

The Chinese president said he highly appreciates that Prime Minister Mottley is friendly to China and sees developing its country's relationship with China as a diplomatic priority.

"Although China and Barbados are far apart, we share the same aspirations and walk hand in hand," Xi told Mottley.

Xi also said the Chinese side welcomes Barbados to take the express train of China's development, work together for win-win cooperation and jointly build a closer China-Barbados community with a shared future.

He called on the two sides to deepen political mutual trust and continue to understand and support each other on issues related to each other's core interests and major concerns.

China, as always, supports Barbados in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence and choosing its own development path, and is willing to have close contacts with Barbados' government, legislature and political parties and strengthen exchanges of experience in governance, Xi added. 

He also called for deepening bilateral practical cooperation and expanding people-to-people exchanges. 

Faced with changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, Xi pointed out that developing countries should strengthen solidarity and cooperation, practice genuine multilateralism, oppose Cold War mentality and camp confrontation, uphold the basic norms of international relations, safeguard international fairness and justice, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. 

China fully understands the demands of Barbados and other small island developing states in the area of climate change, the Chinese president said, adding that China is willing to continue to strengthen South-South cooperation in addressing climate change and provide assistance and support to developing countries, including Barbados.  

Xi also mentioned China attaches great importance to its relations with the Caribbean from a strategic and long-term perspective, and will continue to provide as much assistance as it can for the economic and social development of the Caribbean. 

Mottley, on her part, expressed appreciation for the generous and warm hospitality extended to her.

"Your country has eliminated absolute poverty, something that all countries want to achieve for their people," she told Xi.

The prime minister also hailed the Global Development Initiative, saying it brings development to every person and country. She also noted Barbados is willing to learn from China's experience and actively participate in the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

Mottley voiced her country's firm support for the one-China principle and said her country hopes to strengthen cooperation with the Chinese side in areas including climate change, water resources, the digital divide and health care.

Barbados adheres to multilateralism, opposes "decoupling and breaking the chain," and is willing to continue to promote the development of relations between the Caribbean and China, she added.