By MELANIE VARI
THE Acting Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ambassador Lucy Bogari and China’s Vice Commercial Minister Zhong Shan signed a K23 million (RMB 70 million) Economic and Technical Cooperation Grant-in-Aid in Port Moresby on Thursday .
Ms Bogari and Mr Zhong signed the deal following a courtesy call by the latter on Prime Minister Peter O’Neill with the presence of his senior ministers, Rimbink Pato (Foreign Affairs and Immigration), Charles Abel (National Planning and Monitoring) and Don Polye (Treasury). Other dignitaries at the signing ceremony included Chief Secretary to Government Manasupe Zurenuoc, Acting Treasury Secretary Anthony Yauieb, Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Dr Ila Ila’ava and Police Commissioner Toami Kulunga. The Grant-in-Aid will be apportioned toward the construction cost for the School of Excellence in Ialibu-Pangia Electorate in Southern Highlands Province, equipment cost for the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary and Phase 2 of the Mt Hagen Agricultural Technical Cooperation Project in Western Highlands Province.
“The signing and exchange of letters will pave the way for the projects’ implementing agencies like the Department of National Planning, Department of Agriculture and Livestock and the Police to verify appropriate measures to effectively utilise the grant assistance in accordance with the Government of PNG’s core development plans and priorities,’’ said Ms Bogari. “Also, this is in addition to the assistance that we are receiving for many major projects funded by the Government of China and these include the Port Moresby Sports Complex, the Usino-Yamagi Road, University of Goroka Phase 2, Markham National High School, Kandep Wheat Project, the Eastern Highlands Mushroom Project, Wewak Sports Stadium, the dispatch of medical teams to Port Moresby General Hospital and the Papa-Lealea Road Construction.’’ She expressed PNG’s gratitude for the growing technical cooperation assistance which China continued to give to PNG to assist her development aspirations.
China’s Grant-in-Aid is a pledge from the people and Government of China to Prime Minister Mr O’Neill for the people of PNG during his State visit to China last year.
China’s Vice Commercial Minister Zhong was equally appreciative of the long-standing bilateral relation between both nations and clarified the purpose of his visit as: “I have two major goals of my visit. First is to further promote the bilateral economic and trade relations between China and Papua New Guinea, especially our cooperation on some key projects and secondly is... the Chinese Government to provide RMB70 million grant aid to the Government of PNG.
“We do not attach any pre-requisite for our grant aid given to the Government of Papua New Guinea. The aim of all these actions is to authentically help PNG develop its development capacity and support its economic and social development.” He highlighted the fact that China had contributed immensely to the development of PNG through the numerous projects it had developed and the training it had provided to PNG nationals throughout the country as per the establishment of China-PNG bilateral diplomatic relations many years ago. China is becoming one of PNG’s major development partners.
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