PNG and China sign K15mil agreement for projects

By VERONICA FRANCIS
THE Chinese government will provide a K15 million grant to Papua New Guinea to fund its economic and technical cooperation projects.
Representatives from the two governments yesterday signed instruments to effect the arrangement.
Foreign Affairs secretary Michael Maue said projects to be funded would be identified under PNG’s development strategic plan 2010-30 and Vision 2050.
“China has provided similar assistance in the past and is among PNG’s top five development partners,” Maue said.
Chinese Ambassador to PNG Qiu Bohua said the economic and technical cooperation between China and PNG would be expanded further and deepened on the basis of mutual respect, mutual benefit and equality, which were the basic principles for China’s aid to foreign countries.
He said during the past years, the Chinese government had done its best to support and assist PNG in achieving its social and economic development goals with the implementation of a number of aid projects in the areas of infrastructure, education, health and agriculture.
He said there was great potential to further expand the cooperation also in trade and investment.
“I hope that we will join hands and work together to further promote the cooperation and friendship between our two countries so as to ensure a sound and stable China-PNG relationship in the years to come,” he said.