President John Dramani Mahama today received the outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Tong Defa, at a farewell audience, commending him for strengthening bilateral relations during his tenure.
“You haven’t just been an ambassador or diplomat, you have been a friend, and I’m sad to see you go. Of course, our relations with China are excellent,” President Mahama remarked.
He also expressed gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping for supporting Ghana’s debt restructuring and development initiatives, citing a $30 million grant for the Aflao Market Project and another $30 million for constructing a new Science and Technology University in Damango.
“We want to see a greater cooperation with China in terms of logistics, in terms of training to move on anti-terrorism, in terms of building surveillance of our borders to make sure that we don’t have any infiltration of these areas,” the President added.
He further suggested establishing a payment and settlement system between the two countries.
Ambassador Tong congratulated President Mahama on the successes of his first year, particularly in turning around Ghana’s economy, and called for deeper cooperation in industry, trade, mining, and science and technology.
He noted that the China zero-tariff arrangement for Ghanaian exports would soon be operational and appealed for Ghana’s support for China’s bid to host the Secretariat of the new United Nations treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
