Sun Baohong
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday conferred the Member of the Order of the Star of Ghana, Honorary Division, on outgoing Chinese envoy to Ghana, Sun Baohong.
The award, is in recognition of Madam Baohong’s distinguished conduct as a diplomat, her meritorious and exceptional contribution to Ghana’s socio-economic development, and for the marked increased in the economic cooperation and development front between China and Ghana during her period of stay in the country.
At a farewell lunch at the Jubilee House in Accra, President Akufo-Addo commended Madam Baohong whose untiring efforts, over the past four years, had strengthened Ghana-China relations and enhanced the mutual and bilateral cooperation between the peoples of both nations.
“She has gone the extra mile for us in Ghana, and it is appropriate to shows appreciation for this ambassador who has gone the extra mile for Ghana,” he stated.
A citation accompanying the award highlighted the increase in trade between China and Ghana during her tenure from Ghc5.6 billion in 2014 to more than Ghc6.6 billion in 2017, and her promotion of high level exchanges between the governments of the two nations.
Assuring that Ghana would step up its bond of friendship with China, President Akufo-Addo urged her to continue to promote the relations between the two countries and their governments, as she heads back to her country.
“Continue to be an advocate for Ghana,” he told her, and expressed the appreciation of his government and the people of Ghana for the support China had given to Ghana over the years, and prayed for stronger relations in the future.
Madam Baohong expressed her appreciation for the gesture, saying, it demonstrated the President’s “strong commitment to promoting China-Ghana friendship and further development of our relations.
“This supreme glory belongs to the great country I represent and the great leader who has nominated me as Chinese Ambassador to Ghana…It belongs to the people of China and the whole Chinese Community in Ghana,” the elated envoy said.
The outgoing envoy, praised the “profound traditional friendship” between China and Ghana dating back some 58 years which have withstood the test of “international vicissitudes and changes of each other’s domestic situation and are facing new opportunities.”
She was optimistic that there were opportunities for a shared future between China-Ghana, with an expected boom in cooperation in major projects in the coming years, including the oil exploration in the Volta basin, the expansion of the Tema port, the comprehensive development of Ghana’s bauxite among other.
China, Madam Baohong said, supports Ghana’s initiatives of the ‘One District, One Factory”, “One Village, One Dam”, and the “Planting for food and Jobs”, and would share in the country’s development opportunities.
She told the President that, “I came to Ghana with hopes and dreams, and I leave the country with friendship and honour.”
“No matter where I go, Ghana is always at my heart and I will continue to support the development of China-Ghana relations.”
Madam Baohong began her duty in Ghana in 2014 after a tour of duty in South Africa.
Source: GNA
