Chinese Ambassador accredited to Monrovia, Yin Chengwu, on Monday, April 1, 2024 was a guest to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, where he had an hour-long acquaintance conversation with Minister Jeror Cole Bangalu at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville City.
According local media reports, during the conversation between the two officials of government, Minister Bangalu recounted China’s numerous supports to the sector and highlighted some challenges for possible interventions.
The reports said Minister Bangalu welcomed the foreign diplomat and explained to him that the current government, under the leadership of President Joseph N. Boakai was elected on the marks of integrity, credibility, and accountability, and as the Minister of Youth and Sports, he is under the obligation to uphold those marks.
He referenced China and Liberia’s long-standing relationships and named the infrastructure and human resource development that China has provided to Liberia over the years.
According to the Minister, the survivability of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports is because of China’s support, where the country, unlike before, can now play international matches and allow other neighboring countries to use the facility to honor their international fixtures.
The Youth and Sports boss further reflected on additional contributions of the Chinese Government to Liberia, as the construction of the new Monrovia Vocational Training Center complex is an added advantage to the Technical Vocational Education and Training sub sector of the country.
He further named the numerous Chinese scholarships that young Liberians have and continue to benefit from, with some beneficiaries, especially youths, already making enormous contributions to the Liberian society.
The Youth and Sports Minister then outlined some challenges to the Chinese Ambassador relative to the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex facility, informing Ambassador Yin Chengwu that as a result of the new Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) regulation on the lighting system at the SKD from analog to digital, Liberia cannot play night games due to the lack of digital lighting system, as the current one is the analog, which falls short of the new regulation; this he emphasized as a serious challenge to the Ministry and the government in general.
He also pointed out that a special population of young people called “At Risk Youth” needs special attention as the government strives to detoxify and rehabilitate them.
The Youth and Sports Minister wants China to help the Ministry of Youth and Sports as they roll out programs to provide vocational skills training to young Liberians.
For his part, Ambassador Chengwu noted that China holds the bilateral relationship between Liberia and China in very high esteem, evidenced by China sending its highest envoy in the last 20 years to President Joseph N. Boakai’s inauguration ceremony on January 22, 2024.
The Chinese Diplomat disclosed that Liberia and China’s relationship is developing and gaining momentum right now, as both countries need to improve and strengthen the bilateral relationship.
He said that the President of the People’s Republic of China and President Boakai are very good friends, and their friendship goes back to the days when they were both vice presidents.
“President Boakai visited the Chinese President and they made a lot of exchanges,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Embassy of China, through its Ambassador, has invited a team of young Liberians to participate in the Second Belt and Road International Skills Competition, hosted by the Chinese Government, and is scheduled to take place from June 24 -26, 2024, in Chongqing, China.
According to the communication, the competition will cover 18 skills such as Electronics, Maintenance and Repair, Logistics, and Freight Forwarding.
The competition will be a grand international celebration of skills and will contribute to the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
