Opposition leader, and President of the New Democratic Party (NDP) Dr. Godwin Friday has discussed the possibility of Chinese investors teaming with local entrepreneurs to invest in many sectors of the local economy.
Dr. Friday says much investment is needed in the country to help spur economic growth and bring employment, especially among the youth of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“To push our economy to the next level, we believe that direct foreign investment will be crucial. It is something that many of our neighbours in the Eastern Caribbean countries are pushing to their advantage, and we should also have that vision. Foreign investment in St. Vincent and the Grenadines must be a win-win scenario where local businesses and citizens benefit along with the investor. So we must attract foreign investment while promoting the economic interests and well-being of our people” he said, according to a release from the NDP.
The release stated that the opposition leader is eager for investments in agriculture, fisheries, tourism and technological sectors.
Those issues were discussed during a recent visit by a high-level NDP delegation to Beijing and Shanghai.
The delegation included former Prime Minister, Arnhim Eustace, Member of Parliament Terrence Ollivierre, and Mr. Benjamin Exeter, one of the petitioners in the 2015 Election Petition currently in court in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
While in Beijing, Dr Friday and his team discussed people to people and party to party relationship.
While St Vincent and the Grenadines is one of a handful of countries which does not have relations with China, the NDP which has adopted the United Nation’s ‘One China’ policy, stated that both sides do not have to wait for state-to-state relationships to promote business and cultural exchanges.
It is exploring with Beijing to have a number of these exchanges beginning in 2019.
