Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Foreign Minister of Grenada Joseph Andall in Beijing on September 6, 2023. Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry

China is ready to work with Grenada to open up new prospects for cooperation between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a meeting with Foreign Minister of Grenada Joseph Andall in Beijing on Wednesday. 

Grenada is an important country in the Caribbean, and a friendly cooperative partner of China. China and Grenada have always respected and treated each other as equals, and the bilateral relations have become increasingly mature, since the two countries resumed diplomatic relations in 2005, Wang said.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China highly appreciates Grenada's adherence to the one-China principle, and China supports Grenada in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions.

Hailing the fruitful results from China-Grenada cooperation during recent years, Andall said that Grenada will firmly adhere to the one-China principle and be a reliable friend. 

China and Grenada signed the Memorandum of Understanding on joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2018, opening a new chapter for cooperation in various fields.

According to statistics from Chinese Customs, bilateral trade volume between China and Grenada in 2022 totaled $23.02 million, up 12.6 percent year-on-year. Exports from China to Grenada amounted to $22.75 million, up 11.4 percent year-on-year.

The China-proposed BRI, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative is conducive to promoting world peace, stability, development and fairness, which is especially significant to small- and medium-sized countries, Andall said. Grenada is willing to actively participate in these initiatives, noted Andall.

China is a natural member of the Global South and will continue to stand firmly with other developing countries, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, especially small- and medium-sized countries, and safeguarding international fairness and justice, Wang stressed.

Andall told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that an increasing number of Central American countries support the one-China principle, which is "keeping with the inevitable march of history." 

"As I said in my remarks in my meeting with [Chinese] Foreign Minister Wang Yi, resisting the one-China principle is like trying to push back a tsunami with your hands. This is an irreversible trend," Andall told the Global Times. 

When it comes to the China-Grenada cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, Andall said the Caribbean country has benefited from cooperation with China in areas such as infrastructure development, expansion and modernization of the airport and road network. 

"Not only Grenada but many countries are part of the BRI. It is quite significant as countries of the Global South seek to develop and improve their physical and material well-being," Andall said.

"What is significant about the BRI is that China, a country in the path of development, has decided to be socially responsible by sharing its experiences and its resources with other countries of the Global South," the Grenada's foreign minister said. 

"As more and more countries embrace the one-China principle, it is obvious that the benefits of that of being part of that initiative will spread to all of the countries who are coming on board," he noted.