ACCRA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese community in Ghana and their Ghanaian friends on Sunday celebrated the upcoming Lantern Festival, which falls on Tuesday, with a beautiful gala night at the forecourt of Ghana's Parliament House in Accra, the country's capital.
The event featured a display of Chinese folk arts and culture, including dance and musical performances by the Anhui Performing Arts Group and other cultural troupes, providing a festive atmosphere for the Chinese community living away from home.
A food bazaar with various Chinese cuisines was the curtain raiser to the night of celebration, as members of the Chinese community and local guests enjoyed the taste of many traditional Chinese delicacies.
Addressing the gathering, Li Yang, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in Ghana, said that the full moon of the Lantern Festival binds the hearts of all Chinese to their motherland, embodying the Chinese nation's aspirations for reunion, prosperity, and peace for the country and its people.
Noting this year marks the 66th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Ghana, as well as the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries and the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, Li said China would continue to deepen its ties with Ghana and Africa in various fields of mutual interest.
"We stand ready to work with African countries, including Ghana, to carry forward our historical friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and advance the Initiative on Cooperation Supporting Modernization in Africa," he said.
China is willing to accelerate the negotiation and signing of agreements on economic partnership for shared development with Ghana and other countries, and promote the early implementation of the zero-tariff treatment to write a new chapter in the shared future of China-Ghana and China-Africa relations, Li added.
Speaking at the event, Ghana's Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku said that Ghana welcomes Chinese investors to partner in its large-scale agricultural transformation agenda, as agriculture is now at the center of its economic reset.
He highlighted the opportunities for cooperation in irrigation systems, farm mechanization, agro-processing, machinery assembly and agro-industrial zones.
Ghana's Deputy Defense Minister Ernest Brogya Genfi conveyed greetings from President John Dramani Mahama to the Chinese community on the occasion of the Lantern Festival.
Genfi lauded members of the Chinese community in Ghana for their immense contributions to the development of the Ghanaian economy through investments in manufacturing, commerce and the hospitality industry, among others.
"Let's continue to strengthen the ties between Ghana and China, guided by respect, cooperation and a shared mission of prosperity," Genfi added. ■
