By Abdulai Fofanah
Freetown, 17th September, 2026 – The Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone has celebrated two remarkable milestones: the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the 77th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, on Wednesday, 16th September, 2026.
Speaking during the celebration at the Chinese Embassy, Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, H.E. ZHAO Yong, expressed gratitude to all for supporting China’s development and actively promoting the China-Sierra Leone relationship.
He stated that China sticks to the path of peaceful development, advocates for an equal and orderly multi-polar world, and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
Discussing pragmatic cooperation between the two countries, Ambassador Yong stated that it has produced fruitful results, revealing that China has been Sierra Leone’s largest trading partner and a major source of foreign investment for more than a decade. “With the support of China’s ‘zero-tariff’ policy, in the first half of this year, the trade volume between China and Sierra Leone reached 38% year on year,” he said.
Over the past five decades, he said, Chinese medical teams to Sierra Leone had provided over one million medical services to the Sierra Leonean people.
On scholarship, Ambassador Yong said: “This year, 130 Sierra Leonean students have successfully obtained scholarships from the Chinese government. More than 530 people from various sectors of Sierra Leone have gone to China for short-term training.”
Ambassador Yong stated that China is committed to working with Sierra Leone to continue implementing the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, fully unleash the dividends of the zero-tariff policy, and continuously inject new impetus into the China-Sierra Leone comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. He said this is to better benefit the peoples of the two countries, so as to make their own contribution to the building of the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
“China deeply appreciates that Sierra Leone has consistently and resolutely upheld the one-China principle. Our mutually beneficial cooperation in such areas as politics, economy and trade, health, education, and culture has yielded fruitful results. China-Sierra Leone relations are a good example of China-Africa solidarity and cooperation,” Ambassador Yong said.
Delivering the keynote speech, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperations, Jeneba J. Bangura, commended China in commemorating these important milestones and the remarkable journey it has undertaken over the past decades.
Discussing China’s transformation, Bangura said it has been one of the most consequential economic and social developments of the modern era, highlighting the eradication of extreme poverty on a historically unprecedented scale to its emergence as a major centre of global manufacturing, trade, innovation, infrastructure, and technology.
The Minister said that China’s development experience has had profound implications, not only for its own people, but also for developing countries across the world. “Sierra Leone acknowledges the economic strides made by the People’s Republic of China and the contribution that China continues to make to global economic growth,” she said.
She stated that China’s growing engagement with the developing world is also reflected in the Belt and Road Initiative, which she said has developed into an important framework for infrastructure connectivity, trade, investment and economic cooperation. “Sierra Leone welcomed the opportunity to deepen cooperation under the Belt and Road framework, and during President Julius Maada Bio’s State Visit to China in 2024, our two countries witnessed the signing of cooperation documents covering the Belt and Road Initiative, economic development and the Global Development Initiative,” she said.
For decades, she said, Sierra Leonean students have benefited from scholarships and training opportunities in China. “Educational cooperation has continued to expand through scholarships, professional training, capacity building and academic exchanges,” she said.
Bangura stated that the government takes note of China’s principled vision of an equal and orderly multipolar world, greater representation for developing countries and a more inclusive international economic and political system. “Sierra Leone shares the broader multilateralism, objective of strengthening respect for sovereignty and the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter,” she said.
The Minister also said that Sierra Leone looks forward to continued cooperation with China in areas that advance national development priorities.
“Sierra Leone is committed to working with China to translate our political understanding into practical outcomes that improve the lives of our citizens,” Bangura said.
