State House, Banjul, 16th September 2026: His Excellency President Adama Barrow today received the outgoing Chinese Ambassador, H.E. Liu Jin, on a farewell visit following the conclusion of his tour of duty in The Gambia. President Barrow thanked Ambassador Jin for his achievements, including legacy projects such as the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre, which now hosts over 4,000 delegates with world‑class facilities. He also highlighted roads and bridges in the Upper River Region (URR) that contribute to the country’s infrastructure development. These, he said, “transformed mobility and access, connecting the North and South of the URR.” Ambassador Jin expressed gratitude to the Government and people of The Gambia for their warm hospitality, the enabling environment, and the support extended to his team in carrying out their duties. He assured Beijing’s continued support for new projects to advance development.

During his four‑year tenure, Ambassador Jin worked to strengthen bilateral ties through capacity building across all sectors and at the people‑to‑people level. He laid a strong foundation marked by historic milestones and expressed optimism about new heights in future relations under his successor. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to national progress, President Barrow invited Ambassador Jin to serve as an honorary Ambassador of The Gambia. He urged him to convey assurances of strategic partnership with China to President Xi Jinping and extended best wishes to him.

This year marks a decade since the resumption of diplomatic relations between The Gambia and China, which have since grown to a strategic level. This partnership is solidified through FOCAC, a foundation for progress and human development. The next decade is expected to focus on continuity and building on future, people- centered developments that promote agriculture, trade, and expanding frontiers to strengthen the relationship. The delegation was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, H.E. Sering Modou Njie.