Barbados, China sign agreement for electric buses

Barbados is one step closer to acquiring electric buses from China.

Government on Tuesday signed an Exchange of Notes agreement for the acquisition of electric buses with the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) in that regard.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kerrie Symmonds and CIDCA’s Chairman Luo Zhaohui inked the agreement which is based on a request by Barbados for the donation of electric buses from China, as part of the effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and to reduce the island’s carbon footprint.

The specifications have been submitted and the Chinese authorities are in the process of assessing the request, according to a statement from the Barbados Government Information Service. The Exchange of Notes is a further step in the process of acquiring approval.

CIDCA was established in March 2018 with the aim to formulate strategic guidelines, plans and policies for foreign aid; coordinate and offer advice on major foreign aid issues; advance the country’s reforms in matters involving foreign aid; and identify major programmes and supervise and evaluate their implementation. Specific assignments will be allocated to different departments.

During the bilateral engagement, Minister Symmonds and Chairman Zhaohui both acknowledged the longstanding, cooperative, friendly diplomatic relations between the two countries and expressed a desire for deepening their levels of engagement.

The two also spoke widely on several subject areas, including the Bridgetown Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the climate crisis, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Hope Agricultural Training Institute, The UWI Centre for Food Security and Entrepreneurship, educational scholarships, increasing people-to-people contact, and cultural exchanges.

Barbados and China established diplomatic relations on May 30, 1977.