International

PM Mottley called for global cooperation

Chinese Premier Li Qiang holds a welcoming ceremony for Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, June 25, 2023.

China’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind resonates strongly given the current state of international relations, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley noted. “The world is in a very precarious position. And the one thing I know is that we are bound by being human and by living on the (same) planet.”

by Xinhua writers Yan Liang, Xuan Liqi and Zhu Yubo

BRIDGETOWN, June 25 (Xinhua) — Countries worldwide should put their differences aside to work together to tackle common global challenges and spur development for the people, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has said.

“In spite of differences and size, the commitment to a number of key values allows us to be able to work cooperatively together,” Mottley told Xinhua in an exclusive interview recently, stressing the importance of Barbados-China ties.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which marks its 10th anniversary in 2023, is a global development plan that “is able to help countries across the world bring greater levels of development and greater levels of connectivity in working and helping each other,” she noted.

“Barbados is happy to have signed that agreement,” said Mottley, whose country has already benefited from stepped-up cooperation with China, with repairs made to a number of roads in the Scotland district, representing one-seventh of Barbados’ land area.

People-to-people exchanges have led to fruitful cooperation between the two countries, especially in the fields of health and education, said the prime minister.

This aerial photo taken on May 28, 2023 shows a coastal view of Bridgetown, capital of Barbados. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Chinese teachers at the Confucius Institute at Barbados’ University of the West Indies “are not only teaching Mandarin, but also the culture and the history of China,” she said. “There were a number of Chinese doctors … working here and providing critical services to our population.”

China’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind resonates strongly given the current state of international relations, Mottley noted. “The world is in a very precarious position. And the one thing I know is that we are bound by being human and by living on the (same) planet.”

“We have in common the fact that we are human. We may look different on the outside, but our bodies function the same way. We live on the (same) planet Earth. So we start from that perspective,” said the prime minister, calling on nations to learn how to live together.

Nations need to put aside the “differences that separate us” in favor of “focusing on what we must do together to save the planet,” she said.

“So we have the climate crisis; we have the pandemic; we have food and water and security (issues). And there are too many regions in the world where people just simply do not have access to the appropriate food or safe drinking water,” Mottley said, adding the solution is to “work together to make the world a better place.”

Although “Barbados may have a small land area,” the prime minister noted. “We are a large ocean state at the very time when oceans will be the next frontier that has to help save the planet.” (PR)

International

Chinese Government Offers Scholarships For 2025

The Government of China is providing full scholarships to Barbadian students to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in that country, for the academic year commencing September 2025.

To be eligible for a scholarship, applicants must be citizens of Barbados in good health; high school graduates under the age of 45 when applying for general programmes; be 25 years old if pursuing undergraduate studies, and under 35 years old if pursuing a master’s degree – applicants must already possess a bachelor’s degree and graduated with at least Lower Second Class Honours.

Applicants must also be under age 40 if pursuing a doctoral degree and must have a master’s degree, or hold a master’s degree or that of an Associate Professor (or above) and be under age 50 when applying for senior scholarship programmes. Applications, procedures, and the relevant rules are available from www.campuschina.org or www.csc.edu.cn/studyinchina.

For more information on the scholarships for 2025, interested persons should contact the Tertiary Section of the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training at 535-0863, or visit www.mes.gov.bb. The deadline for the submission of applications is Friday, January 17, 2025. (PR/GIS)

International

People Of African Descent Take Centre Stage At UN

The start of the Second Decade for People of African Descent was proclaimed as January 1, 2025, by the United Nations General Assembly, yesterday.

The theme of the Second Decade is “People of African descent: Recognition, Justice and Development”.

The decade will mobilise United Nations agencies and the international community more broadly to focus on the challenges faced by people of African descent around the world and to promote the respect, protection, and fulfilment of all of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

During the course of the first decade, which ran from 2015 to 2024, the UN and its member states took a number of steps to address the challenges faced and promote the contribution of people of African descent around the world.

At the national level, Barbados has been pursuing reparatory justice through the work of Special Envoy Trevor Prescod. The University of the West Indies has established a partnership with the University of Glasgow that has led to the creation of a joint master’s programme on reparatory justice.

At the regional level, CARICOM has been pursuing reparatory justice through its reparations commission, chaired by Sir Hilary Beckles and through the Prime Ministerial sub-committee on reparations chaired by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.

Upon the adoption of the resolution by the UN General Assembly, Barbados’ Ambassador to the UN, François Jackman, noted: “The facts surrounding the challenges faced by people and societies of African descent are increasingly well-known and well-understood – in part due to the higher profile these issues have assumed as a result of the proclamation of the First Decade.

“This welcome proclamation of a second decade will, however, inevitably lead to disappointment if we do not provide it and its programme of activities with the support that is required. It will therefore be essential for the international community to mobilise the necessary human and financial resources to realise the promise of this second decade.” (PR/GIS)

International

PRESIDENT XI JINPING CALLS FOR AN OPEN WORLD ECONOMY

During meeting with the leaders of major international economic organizations, President Xi Jinping noted that as each economy faces its own set of challenges, it is imperative to build an open world economy through cooperation, drive development through innovation, seize the important opportunities of the digital economy, artificial intelligence and low-carbon technology, foster new sources of economic growth, and support the cross-border flow of knowledge, technology and talent. Building “small yard with high fences,” decoupling and disrupting supply chains bring harm to others without benefiting oneself. China always believes that the world does well when China does well; and when the world does well, China will do even better. For countries, economic interdependence should be seen as a good thing that enables all to draw on each other’s strengths for mutual benefit and win-win results. It should not be taken as a risk.