On the morning of January 23, the Antigua and Barbuda-China Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum was held in Beijing. Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, attended the forum and delivered a keynote speech. Yu Jianlong, Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), attended and addressed the forum. Also present at the forum were Everly Paul Chet Greene, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Trade and Barbuda Affairs, Molwyn Morgorson Joseph, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Health, Wellness, Social Transformation and the Environment, Brian Stuart-Young, Non-resident Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to China, and Zhang Yanling, Chinese Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda.
Prime Minister Browne said he was pleased to be in China on an official visit. Antigua and Barbuda attaches great importance to its relations with China and looks forward to deepening bilateral relations and strengthening practical cooperation in the economic and trade fields between the two countries through this visit. With a vigorous economy, the government encourages foreign investment, prioritizes infrastructure construction, and hopes to strengthen cooperation with China in the fields of trade, shipping, tourism, new energy, and advanced medicine. It welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and do business there. During the Q&A session, Prime Minister Browne had interactive exchanges with Chinese enterprises.
Yu Jianlong noted that Antigua and Barbuda is an important partner to China in the Caribbean. Since the two countries established diplomatic relations, they have forged ahead with stronger mutual political trust, smooth exchanges and cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and other fields, and deepening trade and investment cooperation. The CCPIT is willing to work with Antigua and Barbuda to enhance economy and trade information sharing, further tap into the potential for trade and investment cooperation, and provide high-quality platforms for exchanges and matchmaking between enterprises of the two sides. Moreover, it welcomes Antigua and Barbuda to participate in the second China International Supply Chain Expo.
Ministers Greene and Joseph gave presentations on trade and investment opportunities in the country. Representatives of Chinese enterprises from the fields of agriculture and food, finance and trade, equipment manufacturing, green energy, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, aviation and tourism attended the forum and interacted with government officials from Antigua and Barbuda.
Hosted by the CCPIT, the forum attracted about 120 people, including government officials, business people and media representatives from China and Antigua and Barbuda.
