PRIME Minister Andrew Holness says there should be no fear mongering towards Chinese investments in Jamaica, as the country has had a long and mutually beneficial history of partnerships with China.

“In the national discourse there is a sense of concern about our relationship with China. China is the second largest economy in the world, it is virtually impossible for Jamaica, which historically and traditionally has been an open economy, not to engage culturally, socially and economically with a superpower country like China,” he stated, while addressing stakeholders and constituents at the official handover ceremony for the Jamaica China Goodwill Infant School I and II, in Olympic Gardens, St Andrew yesterday.The schools — one located at 155 Olympic Way in West Central St Andrew, and the other in Morant Estate in St Thomas — were built by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, under a US$7.4 million cooperation agreement signed in 2012.

The prime minister emphasised that no Government on either side would compromise Jamaica’s sovereignty at the negotiating table with China.

“I don’t think that there needs to be any fear-mongering. The Government of Jamaica has been very strategic and the sovereignty of Jamaica is always foremost in my mind. So when we engage we engage with that as a non-negotiable part of the partnership (but) it would be tantamount to the ridiculous to not engage with the second largest economy in the world,” he said.

“The issue is how do we engage. We acknowledge the differential in size of our economies, but as both countries engage a multilateral system and a rules-based system there are parameters within which our relationship operates, and we have mutual respect and regard for each other,” he said, pointing out that Jamaica has engaged China across administrations, particularly in the areas of education and training cooperation, and health.

Holness pointed out also that with its strategic geographical location, it is logical that the island would be sought after as a logistics node.

“The benefits of that should be exploited. China is a massive user of natural resources; it is only logical that China would have an interest in bauxite, as they have now planted roots here with JISCO,” he said.

The prime minister also noted the involvement of the Chinese Government and Chinese companies in infrastructure development, arguing that the North South Highway, for example, has been beneficial to the economy.

“I don’t think that there is any Jamaican that could naysay that the developments that are taking place under MIDP [Major Ifrastructure development Programme] and JDIP [Jamaica Development Inrastructure Programme] before, have not been beneficial to our economy. What we must ensure is that if we borrow, we borrow smartly, we seek to get the best rates and we make a commitment as we have made with other countries and other multilateral institutions, that we must repay our loans,” he outlined.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Jamaica, Tian Qi, said education capacity building is an important pillar of the relationship between the two countries. He noted that over the past 10 years, more than 2,000 Jamaicans have been the beneficiaries of scholarships and training programmes to study in Jamaica, more than 300 of them this year.

The schools will each accommodate up to 180 students and the facilities include classrooms, playrooms, auxiliary rooms, outdoor playground, and other modern facilities.