PRIME Minister Hon. Manasseh Sogavare MP has echoed the sentiment that as a least developing country Solomon Islands greatest need is development and not geo- politicking.
The Prime Minister reiterated the message in his speech this week to farewell the out- going Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) ambassador to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Li Ming.
PM Sogavare said the country need development and so welcome contributions from our development partners in the spirit in which they have rendered their support.
The Prime Minister lamented that 2030 is around the corner and the country will report on how it fares against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, admitting that country has not performed well since the UN SDGs were proclaimed in 2015.
PM Sogavare however, stated that the addition of the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) as a development partner has bring new hope.
“For that reason, we did not hesitate to sign up to the Global Development Initiative (GDI) of President Xi Jin Ping in March of this year,” the Prime Minister added.
PM Sogavare described the initiative as great and that it is a contribution by PRC on the principle of leaving no one behind.
“Under the GDI, your country unleashed the power of innovation by prioritizing green development, new-type industrialization and the digital economy, as well as pursuing a Partnership on New Industrial Revolution to boost high-quality development”, PM Sogavare stated.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed that this is what the country needs adding, the country has plenty of resources but is not given the right boost to achieve its true potential.
PM Sogavare also added that the Belt and Road Initiative is ratified by the country on the same spirit that its principles are well intentioned in oppose to the misinformation propagated by a few.
The Prime Minister made it clear that Solomon Islands has benefited from this initiative in over a 3 years 9 months period and if that is an indication of good things to come there is more to be achieved.
PM Sogavare echoed that the problem with the country is the issue of infrastructure gap, adding that government will continue to work with PRC and other development partners to address this.
His Excellency Li Ming meanwhile stated, Solomon Islands and China will continue to expand on current cooperation. The bilateral cooperation is yet to be fully developed.
“We encourage more Solomon Islands products to enter into the huge China market by using tariff free policies, Shanghai Import Expo and other opportunities. We will continue to assist Solomon Islands realize its 20230 SDG”, H.E Li Ming concluded.
