The Chinese Association of Guyana hosted a Chinese New Year Dinner last night where President David Granger said that all Chinese people who have intentions of contributing to the transformation of the country’s economic landscape are welcomed.
Giving the feature address at the posh New Thriving Restaurant in Providence, which is scheduled to be officially opened sometime next month, Granger said, “Chinese are still arriving today, not as labourers but as investors, visitors, workers, as entrepreneurs and they are welcomed again as they were welcomed in 1852.”
Referencing his executive order to declare January 12 as National Chinese Arrival Day, Granger said his decision was to commemorate the contributions of the Chinese community in the enrichment of the country’s culture and general development. “Chinese enterprises have fostered and have been fostered by over four decades of friendly diplomatic relations, mutual cooperation and our resourceful commercial collections. Guyana welcomes the Chinese who want to contribute to transforming the culture and economic landscape of this country,” he added.
Noting that this Chinese new year is dubbed as the year of the ‘Fire Rooster’, Granger said, “The Fire Rooster is characterised as confident, intelligent, resilient, energetic and honest… The Rooster welcomes each new day, it wakes us up in the morning so we can start our work.” He added that the year is therefore an opportunity for everyone to commit to hard work in order to bring prosperity to their families and the country as a whole.
“Our two countries – the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the People’s Republic of China – are 15,000 KM apart, despite this distance and despite the disparity of demography and geography we still unite by bonds of blood, by bonds of history and by bonds of friendship,” he said, while charging the gathering to strengthen the bonds and deepen the friendship for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
Ambassador of China to Guyana, Cui Jianchun also made brief remarks along with the head of the Chinese Association of Guyana, Ken Yong.
