Ghana and China hold bilateral talks

Ghana and the People�s Republic of China, on Monday held bilateral talks in Accra, aimed at deepening their over 50 year relations. Ms Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration led a high powered delegation of six Ministers from Ghana�s side, while that of China was led by the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Wang Yi. Other members of Ghana�s delegation included Mr Mahama Ayariga, Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mr Seth Terkper, Finance Minister, Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Minister of Education, Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei, Minister of the Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations and Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, Defence Minister. Ms Tetteh said the spirit in which the nations had conducted themselves over the past fifty years would continue for their mutual benefits. She also lauded the Chinese Government for putting up the edifices of her Ministry and that of the Ministry of Defence. She said they had fruitful discussions covering multiplicities of sectors such as Education, Finance, Science and Technology, among others. She said China is one of the biggest investors in Ghana, adding that Mr Wang�s visit would undoubtedly strengthen their bilateral relations. Ms Tetteh noted that when President Kwame Nkrumah and Chairman Mao Tse-Tung of China started this relationship, it was meant for the mutual benefits of both countries. She said the discussions also covered Africa, and how the best Chinese assistance to the continent could be enhanced. Mr Wang also traced the beginning of co-operation between the two nations back to the days of President Nkrumah and Chairman Mao, declaring that Ghana�s name had become a household word in China. He observed that since the assumption of office by President John Dramani Mahama, the Ghana-China relationship had grown from strength to strength. He said the discussions were very productive, and a new dimension of practical co-operation had been introduced into the relationship of the two countries. He announced that China would be assisting Ghana to develop a solar electricity generating plant to help boost the energy sector. Mr Wang urged other sector Ministers from Ghana to strengthen co-operation with their Chinese counterparts, for the mutual benefits of both countries. He said China would continue to assist Africa in her developmental agenda, declaring that Ghana is one of the largest recipients of Chinese assistance to Africa. On the issue of Chinese involvement in illegal mining in Ghana, Mr Wang said several delegations were sent to Ghana to help resolve the matter. He explained that to help address the issue, China had tightened the conditions for the acquisition of passports by her nationals. He said Ghana was capable of resolving the issue of illegal mining, adding that �We need to use pro-active means of addressing it�. Mr Wang was accompanied by Mr. Gong Jianzhong, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana.