Chinese Vice-Premier lauds President for economic reforms
A Vice-Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Ms Sun Chunlan, has lauded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s leadership style, which has culminated in reforms, growth of the economy and improvement in the lives of Ghanaians.
She said stability and development had become the proud highlights of the Ghanaian government and stated that China was excited to see the achievements Ghana had chalked up and expressed the hope that it would continue to achieve more in terms of national development.
Ms Chunlan gave the commendation when she paid a courtesy call on President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House as part of her two-day working visit to Ghana.
Old, good friend
The visit also formed part of moves to implement the agreements reached between President Xi Jinping and President Akufo-Addo at the third Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) in Beijing in 2018.
Ms Chunlan said President Akufo-Addo was an “old and good friend of China” and commended Ghana for its determination towards the growth and development of China.
She added that her visit would see to the implementation of the outcomes of FOCAC, deepen relations between Ghana and China and take the relationship between the two countries to new heights.
She expressed the hope that with Ghana and China celebrating 60 years of bilateral relations next year, the friendly relations, which were forged by Chairman Mao Zedong and Dr Kwame Nkrumah, would continue to stand the test of time and become stronger for many years to come.
Sinohydro deal
President Akufo-Addo described China as Ghana’s biggest trading partner, saying that many ongoing development projects in the country were taking place with the assistance of the Chinese government and companies.
He mentioned the $2-billion Sinohydro deal, which would lead to the construction of a myriad of infrastructural projects in Ghana, which was his government’s major priority, adding: “It is extremely encouraging that the projects are now going to go forward.”
He stated that the first four projects under Phase 1 of the Sinohydro Master Project Support Agreement, namely, the Tamale Interchange, Prestea and Cape Coast Inner City Roads, the upgrade of selected feeder roads in the Ashanti and the Western regions and the Hohoe-Jasikan-Dodo Papesu road had been approved by Sinosure, with the Vice-President expected to cut the sod for those projects to begin on November 18, 2019.
Project execution
President Akufo-Addo expressed the hope that the remaining six projects, especially the construction of Accra Inner City Roads, currently under evaluation by Sinosure, would be approved expeditiously by the end of the year for work to commence in earnest.
He said the vision of mutual co-operation, mutual development and shared prosperity expressed by President Xi Jinping was one to which Ghana ascribed, adding: “So we are looking forward to prosecuting the relationship between our two countries, and it is within that context that we are very happy to have you here with us.”
After addressing the media, the two later held a closed-door meeting.