Foya, Lofa County — China’s Ambassador to Liberia, Yin Chengwu, celebrated the completion of the Digital Village Project in President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s hometown of Foya on Thursday, hailing the initiative as a people-centered milestone in the fast-deepening strategic partnership between China and Liberia.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony, the Ambassador praised joint teams from both countries and the local community members poised to benefit. The project integrates communications infrastructure, digital education tools, and green energy systems to deliver tangible improvements to a remote community long underserved by basic services.
According to Ambassador Chengwu, the initiative puts into practice commitments made at the highest level following President Boakai’s participation in the 2024 FOCAC Beijing Summit and his meeting with President Xi Jinping, where the two leaders elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership. “We are delighted to see high-level consensus translating into better lives for local communities,” the Ambassador said, framing the project as evidence that cooperation extends beyond diplomacy into results on the ground.
The Ambassador highlighted expanding exchanges at the local level as a key engine of progress. President Boakai’s visit to Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen provided first-hand exposure to China’s digital innovation, while a subsequent visit to Liberia by the mayor of Shenzhen advanced subnational ties. Huawei’s active participation in delivering the Digital Village Project, the Ambassador noted, underscores growing people-to-people connections and practical collaboration across infrastructure, communications, education, and livelihoods.
The remarks placed the initiative within a broader development moment for both nations: the first year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and a pivotal period for Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development. China, the Ambassador said, aims to further align development strategies with Liberia, expand cooperation in priority sectors, and support mutual modernization efforts—contributions that, in his view, will also strengthen solidarity and self-driven growth across the Global South.
Invoking Chinese proverbs about remembering one’s roots and placing the people at the foundation of the state, Ambassador Yin Chengwu drew parallels between Liberia’s rural development push and China’s own anti-poverty and connectivity drives. He cited milestones from China’s expansion of electricity access to universal rural broadband—framed as decades-long, people-first policies designed to ensure development benefits are widely shared.
The Chinese Ambassador linked those experiences to Liberia’s goals, pointing to visible changes already brought by the Digital Village Project: internet and phone connectivity for previously isolated areas, digital classrooms for schools that once lacked resources, and clean, reliable power where electricity was absent. Such improvements, he said, not only elevate daily life but also offer a replicable model for rural infrastructure and digitization.
Ambassador Chengwu recalled President Boakai’s journey “From Foya to Capitol,” the Ambassador said visiting the President’s hometown underscored the resilience behind his story and his continued commitment to community. That spirit of putting people first, the Ambassador added, resonates with the Chinese principle of serving the people wholeheartedly and forms a “spiritual bond” strengthening China–Liberia friendship.
“As a strategic partner, China remains committed to deepening pragmatic cooperation, accelerating project delivery, and enriching the substance of our partnership to better benefit our two peoples,” the Ambassador concluded. “Thank you.”
