Guyana accredits new Chinese, Vietnamese diplomats

Guyana continues to strengthen its diplomatic relations, with President Dr Irfaan Ali recently accrediting two new foreign envoys.

On Wednesday, the Guyanese Head of State accepted the Letters of Credence of the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Guyana, Yang Yang, at the Office of the President on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive.
Guyana formally established diplomatic relations with China on June 27, 1972, becoming the first English-speaking Caribbean nation to build ties with that East Asian country.
Ambassador Yang arrived in Guyana on April 17. She has replaced former Ambassador Guo Haiyan, who completed her tenure here back in December 2024, and left Guyana on December 10, after three years at the Chinese Embassy in Georgetown. She had assumed office in October, 2021.
Prior to the departure of Ambassador Guo Haiyan, President Ali hosted a farewell dinner during which he praised Ambassador Guo’s extraordinary contribution to promoting Guyana-China friendship and pragmatic cooperation, and declared his satisfaction with the strengthening of bilateral cooperation.
He had also said that Guyana stands ready to continuously work with China in agriculture, health, and other fields, and welcomes more investment from China.
The former Chinese diplomat had extended appreciation to President Ali’s high attention to developing bilateral relations, and his successful visit to China in 2023.
During a subsequent farewell reception held in her honour, Ambassador Guo had noted that the already strong bilateral relations between Guyana and China continues to grow with tangible results in almost every field, including trade, which saw a significant 31 percent increase in the first half of 2024, as bilateral trade reached US$800 million.
Currently, China is playing a major role in Guyana’s development, especially in the area of infrastructure, with the new US$260 million Demerara River Bridge that is currently being constructed by China-based China Railway Construction (International); the signing of contractors for both the Guyana Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Programme, and the new US$35 million Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge Project, and also the ongoing US$10 million construction of the China-Guyana Friendship Joe Vieira Park Project.

Vietnamese Ambassador
President Ali also recently accepted the Letters of Credence of the new Ambassador of Vietnam, Bui Van Nghi, at the Office of the President.
Following the ceremony held last week, the President met with Ambassador Bui and informed him of Guyana’s ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human resources, climate, energy, and food security. Discussions also encompassed potential collaboration in the aquaculture sector, large-scale agriculture, and human resource development.
Guyana established diplomatic relations with Vietnam on April 19, 1975.
Ambassador Bui is replacing Ambassador Pham Thi Kim Hoa, who was accredited back in March 2023.
The new Vietnamese diplomat, who is posted in Brazil, had recently met with Guyana’s Chief Investment Officer and Head of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), Dr Peter Ramsaroop, to discuss investment synergies in agro-processing, manufacturing, and trade.
According to GO-Invest, during that meeting last Thursday, Dr Ramsaroop outlined several key sectors where Vietnamese industries could engage with Guyana’s expanding economy. Discussions focused on agro-processing opportunities such as cashew production and the cultivation of higher-grade rice, as well as potential investments in the manufacturing sector.
Dr Ramsaroop also expressed interest in exploring Vietnamese import products that align with Guyana’s development priorities.
The visit underscored the growing interest in strengthening trade and investment relations between Vietnam and Guyana, GO-Invest said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, was present at both accreditation ceremonies.