President Xi calls for turning China-Dominica friendly ties into driving force for win-win cooperation

China is willing to work with Dominica to synergize their development strategies and turn the friendly relations into a driving force for win-win cooperation to achieve more results and deliver more benefits to the two peoples, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit in Beijing.

Noting that Dominica is an important country in the Caribbean and a trustworthy good friend and partner of China in the region, Xi said the two countries have always respected each other and treated each other as equals since the establishment of diplomatic ties 20 years ago.

With increasing political mutual trust, vigorous exchanges and cooperation in various fields and deepening friendship between the two peoples, China-Dominica relations have become a good example of South-South cooperation, he said.

Xi said the key to the sound development of China-Dominica relations lies in the high level of political mutual trust, mutual understanding and support on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns.

He said China firmly supports the people of Dominica in following a development path suited to its national conditions and stands ready to bolster friendly exchanges and strengthen the sharing of experience on governance with the Dominican side.

China welcomes the Dominican side to board the "express train" of Chinese modernization to expand bilateral cooperation in trade and economy, infrastructure construction, agriculture, health care and other fields, Xi said, noting that China will continue to provide assistance within its capacity for Dominica's economic and social development.

China is willing to promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges with the Dominican side, welcomes more Dominican students to study in China, and will continue to provide scholarships and training programs, Xi said.

He added that the two sides should jointly develop the Confucius Classroom at the Dominica State College and explore more cooperation in vocational and technical training in Dominica.

Noting that China advocates an equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive economic globalization that benefits all, Xi said China attaches great importance to the concerns and demands of small island developing countries in climate change and supports Dominica in playing an active role in international and regional affairs.

China stands ready to work with Dominica to strengthen coordination and cooperation, deepen South-South cooperation, safeguard the common interests of developing countries and promote building a community with a shared future for mankind, said Xi.

He said China attaches great importance to its relations with Caribbean countries and pledged to continue to support Caribbean countries in pursuing national prosperity and development and improving people's well-being.

Skerrit said Dominica-China relations, based on mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual support, have yielded fruitful results for more than 20 years.

He thanked China for always standing firmly with the Dominican people who suffered from natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic and providing valuable assistance and support.

Hailing the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and a series of initiatives proposed by President Xi, Skerrit said they are crucial for the world to strengthen unity and cooperation and promote development and prosperity.

The Dominican side firmly adheres to the one-China principle, supports China's just cause of achieving complete national reunification and opposes any interference in China's internal affairs, he said.

Skerrit said Dominica is willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, deepen people-to-people friendship, enhance comprehensive cooperation, become an all-weather strategic partner and elevate bilateral relations to a higher level.

He said Dominica also looks forward to maintaining close communication and coordination with China in international affairs, actively implementing a series of global initiatives and safeguarding international fairness and justice, aiming to make positive contributions to promoting world peace and development.

(With input from Xinhua)