President Xi: China ready to deepen cooperation with Suriname

China is ready to deepen Belt and Road cooperation with Suriname, Chinese President Xi Jinping said when meeting with Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi in Beijing on Friday.

Santokhi is paying a state visit to China from April 11 to 17.

China is willing to work with Suriname to further consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen economic and trade cooperation, expand people-to-people exchanges, deepen international coordination and promote the building of a closer China-Suriname strategic cooperative partnership, Xi said.

Xi said China will expand cooperation with Suriname in fields such as trade and investment, agriculture, energy, mining, infrastructure construction and digital economy.

He said China welcomes more high-quality specialty products from Suriname to enter the Chinese market.

Suriname was one of the first Caribbean countries to establish a strategic partnership and sign a cooperation plan on the Belt and Road Initiative with China, Xi noted.

The two countries have always treated each other with mutual respect and equality and have become a model of South-South cooperation, said Xi.

Suriname has one of the largest overseas Chinese communities in the Caribbean and was the first country in the Western Hemisphere to adopt Chinese New Year as an official holiday, he noted, calling for more people-to-people exchanges and local cooperation.

China will work with developing countries, including Suriname, to strengthen multilateral coordination, safeguard common interests, achieve common development and promote the building of a global community of shared future, he added.

Xi said China attaches importance to developing relations with Caribbean countries and will continue to provide help within its capacity for the economic and social development of regional countries.

Santokhi said Suriname firmly upholds the one-China principle and will continue to support China in realizing national reunification.

He expressed readiness to expand cooperation in fields such as trade and investment, green development and climate action and further deepen the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership.

Suriname supports the Belt and Road Initiative and global initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative proposed by Xi, he said, adding that his country is willing to make efforts to promote the development of ties between Caribbean countries and China.

After their talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in fields including trade and investment, green development, education and digital economy.