-Ambassador Ren Yisheng

Chinese Ambassador accredited near Monrovia, Ren Yisheng says unlike Western practices, his country China never attaches any political conditions to its loans and assistance to Africa. The Chinese Envoy made the statement recently during the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) Annual Excellence Awards Ceremony.

He spoke on the Role and Responsibility of the Press; China’s Development Achievements, and the Cooperation Between China and Liberia.According to Ambassador Yisheng, the media have the functions to provide information services, undertaking early warning of social conflicts, and supervising public power.

To gain credibility, he observed, the media must reflect the facts comprehensively, objectively and impartially, avoid inaccurate reports and fake news, disseminate fresh experience, reflect the demands of the people, and promote fairness and justice.He emphasized that in recent years, some Western media have fabricated a lot of fake news about China and China-Africa cooperation.

“We hope Liberian media will distinguish right from wrong and avoid being deceived. Seeing is believing. We welcome the Liberian journalists to visit China and see all the development and changes with your own eyes,” the Chinese Envoy says.

He assures that China will continue to implement the policy of “one country, two systems” and “Hong Kong patriots governing Hong Kong” to maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of the HKSAR.

He adds that Fox and some Western media have fabricated many lies about so-called “genocide” and “forced labor” in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region to discredit and attack the “one country, two systems” policy and the National Security Law implemented by the Chinese Central Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

“The fact is that before the return of Hong Kong to China, none of the members of the HK Legislative Bureau, the legislature at that time, was nominated by the Hong Kong people, and none of them were elected through democratic procedures. All the Governors were British citizens directly appointed by the British government,” he says.

The Chinese Ambassador says after Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997, Hong Kong has held six Legislative Council elections, and four Chief Executives of the SAR have been elected by Hong Kong citizens. According to him, over the past 20 years after Hong Kong’s return, the riots that have occurred have been implicitly supported by Britain and other Western countries.

He says the excuses are always so-called “democracy.” Since the National People’s Congress (NPC) passed and promulgated the “National Security Law” in 2020, a small number of criminals who seriously endangered national security have been punished, external forces interfering in Hong Kong affairs have been deterred, and Hong Kong has returned to stability.

He made reference to the SKD Stadium, the annexes to the Capitol building, the Ministerial Complex, and the Roberts International Airport terminal built with Chinese assistance, saying they have become landmark buildings in Liberia.

He also speaks of the fly-over bridges on Tubman Boulevard, Somalia Drive-Sinkor Boulevard Road-bridge, and the clinical reference lab projects, and the provision of Government scholarships and short-term training programs among others.

He recalls that in 2014, when Ebola broke out in Liberia, China took the lead to assist and became the first country to send a large number of medical experts and supplies to Liberia.

He also narrates that after the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, President George Manneh Weah and other political leaders of Liberia supported China’s fight against the pandemic.He narrates that the Chinese government and civil society organizations have successively aided many batches of anti-pandemic materials to Liberia.