Guyana has maintained diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the United States (US) for over 20 years. The benefits of the agreements or commitments engendered by these relations include the development of new institutions, economic growth, stability, and security, among others. However, in an interview with Vice News, a US news media outlet, Vice President of Guyana, Bharrat Jadgeo spoke about relations between Guyana and the PRC, and the fact that Guyana has been affected by the increased political tension between the PRC and the US.
In the interview, the Guyanese president was asked about Guyana-China relations, particularly in connection with the massive projects granted to the Asian country under his government. Jagdeo explained that Guyana has not favored Chinese investors nor has it benefited from special loans from China. Following this statement, the reporter asked him if he had accepted any bribes from Chinese investors. The Vice President later stated that he sensed aggressive anti-Chinese sentiment from the interviewer, to which he responded by warning that he had a predetermined agenda for the interview. Following the interview, the vice president made a statement via a conference call stating the following: “Guyana will not be caught in the middle of any cold war-like tension between the two world superpowers: the United States and China.” The Vice President concluded by commenting that Guyana has friends everywhere. For its part, the Chinese embassy in Guyana also commented on the development and stressed that it is very dissatisfied with what it believes is a premeditated agenda by Vice News to defame and attack Guyana-China relations. The embassy, in turn, stated the following: “The friendly cooperation between China and Guyana is characterized by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefits for the people, it supports the interests of the two countries and the two peoples, it is not against any third party, nor should it be influenced by a third party.”
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News Room: We believe in Friends everywhere – Jagdeo says Guyana not getting caught between US/China tensions.
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News Room: Chinese Embassy dissatisfied with attempts to smear Guyana/China cooperation.