Honorable Dominic Nitiwul, Minister for Defence of the Republic of Ghana,
Honorable Lieutenant General Obed Akwa, Chief of Defence Staff of the Republic of Ghana,
Honorable Rear Admiral Peter Kofi Faidoo, Chief of Naval Staff of the Republic of Ghana,
Your Excellency Edward Boateng, Ghanaian Ambassador to China,
Chinese Experts Team,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning! It gives me great pleasure to attend the handing-over ceremony of the four patrol boats aided by China to Ghana. Though limited in amount and size, the brand-new patrol boats show the sincerity of the Chinese side to support the capacity-building of the Ghanaian Armed Forces.
Peace and development are the two main themes of today’s world. Peace is the prerequisite of development, and development is a dividend of peace. China advocates the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, adheres to the principles of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith and upholds justice and shared interests when carrying out cooperation with Africa, actively implements the Initiative on China-Africa Co-operative Partnership for Peace and Security, firmly supports the endeavors of African countries and regional organizations in seeking peace and security, conducts dialogues and cooperation with the African Union and African countries, and supports the appeals of African countries at the United Nations and other multilateral arena. China plays a unique role in the solution of African security issues and is a trustworthy partner for Africa on its way to peace and development.
At the UN Summit in September 2015, H.E. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to provide free military aid of USD100 million to the African Union to support the building of the African Standby Force and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis in the next 5 years. In December of that year, at the Johannesburg Summit of FOCAC President Xi Jinping reiterated that China supports solving African issues in African way by African people and stands ready to take an active part in Africa’s efforts in capacity-building for maintaining and strengthening peace and security and supports Africa in its endeavors to speed up development, eradicate poverty and realize durable peace. According to the Ten Cooperation Plans endorsed by the Summit, China will continue to participate in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and support African countries’ capacity building in areas such as national defense, counter-terrorism, riot prevention, customs and immigration control.
Ghana was one of the first sub-Saharan African countries to establish diplomatic ties with China. The traditional friendship between China and Ghana is deeply rooted in people's minds and has become an invaluable asset for both countries. In recent years, the political trust between the two countries has been continuously strengthened, the interaction at all levels has been ever-increasing and the cooperation in various fields is fruitful. According to the statistics, the bilateral trade volume between China and Ghana in the first half of 2017 hit USD3.32 billion, ranking 6th in Africa and registering a 17.5% increase. In June, Vice President of Ghana H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia paid a successful visit to China and reached broad consensus on further enhancing bilateral friendly cooperation with Chinese leaders, injecting strong impetus into China-Ghana relations.
China and Ghana are good friends, good partners, and good brothers. The military and security cooperation between the two countries have continuously been deepened. China supports Ghana to play a more important role in regional and international security issues. We are proud of what Ghana has achieved. I have heard that Ghana Navy is ranked the Best Navy in West Africa. The handing over of four patrol boats to Ghana is another important achievement of our bilateral security cooperation and I wish these boats would make contribution to elevating Ghana’s capacity in patrolling, guarding, detecting and anti-smuggling operations in coastal waters, inland rivers and lakes.
China is committed to expanding security cooperation with Ghana. Two months ago, Hon. Minister of Defence Nitiwul and I signed an agreement on China’s provision of new military aid gratis to Ghana. Last month 15 Ghanaian officers went to China to undergo military training ranging from 3 months to one year. I express my best wishes to them.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The multi-polarization and economic globalization of the world are bringing more opportunities for human development. However, the world is not peaceful. China and Ghana, as developing countries, bear the responsibility of tackling challenges together and strengthening security cooperation. China is willing to work with Ghana and other African countries to build the cornerstone of security, enhance political trust, intensify mutual beneficial cooperation, promote common development, and act as the "stable anchor" for peace and development in the region and the world.
Thank you!