王超副部长为第三届“中国-加勒比经贸合作论坛”撰文：联手共建中加经贸合作未来之桥
http://msn.finance.sina.com.cn 2011-09-11 12:28 来源: 商务部网站
Join Hands for a Bright Future of China-Caribbean Cooperation
Wang Chao， Vice Commerce Minister of China
在第三届“中国--加勒比经贸合作论坛”召开之际，商务部副部长
王超在巴哈马媒体撰文：联手共建中加经贸合作未来之桥。全文如下：
China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum has become an
important venue to conduct exchanges and an effective mechanism to deepen
practical cooperation since it was first held in 2005. Now， China and
Caribbean countries are looking forward to the third forum held in Port of
Spain， capital of Trinidad and Tobago， on 12 and 13 September 2011.
Vice Premier Wang Qishan will lead a Chinese government delegation to
attend the forum and more than 80 distinguished Chinese companies will
participate as well. On the Caribbean side， not only leaders and ministers of
Caribbean countries will lead government and business delegations to attend
the forum， head from the Caribbean Community Secretariat will join as well.
Chinese and Caribbean officials and entrepreneurs will discuss how to further
strengthen win-win cooperation and achieve common development after the
last forum was held four years ago.
Chinese people and Caribbean people are united by traditional friendship
despite long distance between them. As developing countries， China and
Caribbean countries are committed to economic development and
improvement of people’s livelihood even though they differ in national
conditions， social systems and levels of development. Facing complex and
fluid international situation and challenges and opportunities in economic
globalization， both China and Caribbean countries have increasingly felt how
important and urgent it is to strengthen their cooperation. It was against this
background that China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum
was launched.
In the past six years， the Chinese government has honoured its commitments
under the framework of the forum by introducing a host of new measures in
economic cooperation and trade， taking concrete steps to help Caribbean
countries in their economic and social development， and improving their
capacity for independent development. Multi-level and extensive cooperation
between China and Caribbean countries has been established thanks to the
forum， providing new driving forces in their friendship and cooperation.
The two-way trade has enjoyed rapid growth. According to China customs， it
jumped from US$2.024 billion in 2004 to US$7.158 billion in 2010， an
increase of 2.5 times. China has not only substantially increased its imports
from the Caribbean region， but also diversified its import mix. Asphalt and
liquefied natural gas from Trinidad and Tobago， Jamaica Blue Mountain
coffee， and Caribbean rum have become increasingly appealing in the
Chinese market. With more exchanges between the two sides， it is expected
that a growing number of competitive Caribbean products will be enjoyed by
Chinese consumers.
Investment cooperation has made remarkable progress. Chinese companies
have come to understand the real economic landscape and investment
environment in Caribbean countries through the forum， and take into account
these countries in their global expansion. They have invested in Bosai
Minerals Group (Guyana)， sugar factories in Jamaica， a megaresort project in
the Bahamas， oil field development in Trinidad and Tobago， and other
projects which have created a large number of jobs there and contributed to
local economic and social development. Chinese financial institutions are
exploring the possibility of providing financing support to some large
infrastructure projects in this region. I am confident that as economic
globalization deepens and Chinese and Caribbean economies continue to
grow， more Chinese companies and financial institutions will participate in
the investment and financing cooperation in the Caribbean region.
Our cooperation in agriculture， fishery and tourism has made new headway.
They are not only priority sectors in Caribbean countries， but also areas with
great potentials in our cooperation. We have worked hard and made good
progress in cooperation in these sectors. China has transferred technologies，
provided seeds and seedlings， and supplied other services in its agro-technical
cooperation with Dominica， Grenada and Cuba. Our efforts have helped
diversify the variety of local agricultural products， enhanced their production
volume and quality， and won high praise of local governments and farmers.
China and Caribbean countries have signed MOUs which enabled Chinese
groups tours to this region. Our cooperation in tourism will have a brilliant
future as more Chinese tourists are allured by the charming seas， sands and
sunshine in the Caribbean region. China’s picturesque landscape and vivid
cultural and historical legacy will also attract more and more visitors from
Caribbean countries.
Human resources development has become a highlight in our cooperation.
Since the first forum， nearly 1，700 Caribbean officials and professionals have
received training or attended workshops in China， while China has dispatched
more than 200 agricultural experts， young volunteers and medical staff to
Caribbean countries. Cooperation in the area has boosted capacity building in
Caribbean countries and substantially enhanced understanding and friendship
between the Chinese people and the Caribbean people.
The third China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum will be
another important event in our cooperation. It will be convened on 12
September， the traditional Chinese mid-Autumn festival. When the full moon
rises over the beautiful Port of Spain， friends from China and Caribbean
countries will gather once again to enjoy the fruits of their increasingly
mature business relationship and charter the course for future win-win
cooperation and common development. It is my firm belief that with
concerted efforts from all parties the third forum will be a complete success.
