ACCRA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- China is prepared to participate in the economic development of Ghana and the West African sub-region, Sun Baohong, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, said here on Friday.
Addressing the one day Ghana-China Investment Forum, the ambassador urged the Ghanaian side to roll out more preferential policies, and create a more congenial environment for business activities to attract more investors.
"China is willing, under the framework of FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation), to focus more on requirements of Ghana; explore multiple ways of cooperation and make full use of the tool of investment, vigorously participate in Ghana's industrialization," she said.
The ambassador added that China will also play a part in the country's agricultural modernization and overall regional development as well as implement more projects in Ghana and enhance its capacity for sustainable development.
She called for exchange of ideas and experiences between China and Ghana and on governance with the two jointly building their capacities to pave the way for the integration of their policies and development strategies, calling for peaceful resolution of problems arising between the two.
"As our cooperation goes wider and deeper, some problems will arise inevitably. Just as a proverb goes, 'the teeth sometimes bites the tongue'. In dealing with these problems emerging in the course of progress, we should abide by the spirit of mutual respect and win-win cooperation and solve them through friendly negotiations."
"Just as the Chinese President His Excellency Mr. Xi Jinping said during his visit to Tanzania, 'There will always be more opportunities than challenges and more solutions than difficulties' as long as our two countries make concerted efforts we can resolve any problem we meet and do anything we want," Ambassador Sun stressed.
The Ghana-China Investment Forum, an initiative of the government of Ghana through the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Embassy of China in Ghana, seeks to stimulate development and strengthen business relationship between China and Ghana.
Vice President of Ghana, Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur who opened the forum, said that the stock of Chinese investment in Ghana has increased to 1.3 billion U.S dollars, ranking 14th in that of Africa and the office of China Africa Development Fund (CADFund) has opened in Ghana's capital to cater for West Africa.
"We accept the endorsement of China that Ghana is indeed the gateway to West Africa. It is in the light of the growing trade and future prospects that the government decided to organize this forum," he stated.
Amissah-Arthur said the economic gains of Ghana will not have been possible without an impressive track record in democratic governance.
"Investors feel that the social and political stability are even more important than we've put in point. Social and political stability have provided the anchor for the growth of our economy, and we plan to keep Ghana as the most peaceful; the most stable; the most friendly; the most accommodating and the most well governed country in Africa."
The Vice President maintained that the West African country was not looking for charity, but, "we are looking for potential investors whose investment will be beneficial to the two sides."