UPDATE FROM: The People’s Republic of China Speech Delivered By Hon. Carlos E. Tingban, Sr. Assistant Minister for Mines, Republic of Liberia.
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>June 17, 2025 </em></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p><em>At The </em><strong>Training Course on Mine Rescue for Belt and Road Countries</strong></p>
<p><strong>Organized and Hosted by the People’s Republic of China, placing focus Mine Workers’ Safety.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Leadership of the Ministry of Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China, The Management of the International Exchange and Cooperation Center, Distinguished Guests, Diplomats and Business Leaders, Stakeholders and Actors in Mining and Energy, Ladies and Gentlemen.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As we have assembled here today to reaffirm our collective commitment to strengthening economic cooperation and reemphasize with oneness of voice and resolve to promoting mining safety across our individual countries through continued capacity-building including knowledge transfer, please permit me to extend our highest sentiments of felicitation and good tidings on behalf of His Excellency Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia, and Hon. Wilmot J. M. Paye, Minister of Mines and Energy.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As this new beginning marks the observance of the historic opening of the<strong> Technical</strong> <strong>Training Course on Mine Rescue for Belt and Road Countries,</strong> this occasion offers all of us yet another unique opportunity to reflect on the immense impact that the Belt and Road Initiative continues to have across developing African countries and other parts of the world, especially in areas of infrastructure, mining, agriculture, and technology since 2013 when it was first launched.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Belt and Road Initiative truly connects continents with much-needed investments. For this, we are grateful to the people’s Republic of China for its willingness to deepen economic cooperation with our countries. With this in mind, I want to welcome everyone to this historic gathering which marks the beginning of placing premier on the safety of mine workers through human capital development – short-term technical training programs. This is an affirmation that the Belt and Road Initiative is not just concerned about investments in infrastructure, agriculture, mining, technology, etc., but it's also particularly concerned about mining safety and rescue.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As we inaugurate this new chapter in our collective pursuit for human dignity, workers’ rights, safety and protection, and international cooperation, it is more than important to reecho that it’s about time to place people before profit and humanity before capital. This technical course represents a turning point in pursuit of this noteworthy cause that prioritizes the interest of the society and the environment.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The inauguration of this technical course, which predominantly embodies knowledge transfer, is a proof of multilateralism and internationalism in practical terms. It creates a platform for nations to foster deepening relations by standing shoulder to shoulder, united not by exploitation and poverty, but by a shared commitment to workers’ safety, workers’ rights, mutual development, and the liberation of working people from the shackles of neglect, marginalization, and disposability.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">May I say with certainty that the <strong>Liberia-China relationship</strong>, rooted in shared values and cherished through decades of renewed cooperation, stands as a shining example of what principled bilateralism represents. Ours is a friendship based not on dependency, but on sovereign partnership, shared prosperity, and the collective upliftment of our both countries.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It is this shared and mutual relationship that makes us even prouder to stand here today alongside the People’s Republic of China, as a steadfast partner in Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We recognize the importance of maintaining this friendship which is anchored to our historic struggle for self-determination, industrial growth, and people-centered progress: from infrastructure to healthcare, from agriculture to education, and now to mine rescue, China has remained a genuine ally to the Liberian people. We honor this enduring solidarity and cooperation. The latest China-funded national survey on mineral resources in Liberia, which has led to the discovery of significant new mineral occurrences that offer fresh opportunities, is a testament of this cooperation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In Liberia, as in many Belt and Road countries, mining plays a critical role in national development. But let us be clear, no economic growth is worth the loss of a single worker’s life. A mine that cannot protect its workers is a mine that must be transformed or closed. This training course, therefore, is not only timely but morally essential. It reaffirms that the lives of miners which are too often undervalued and unseen are not expendable. It tells the world that in this new paradigm of development, we will not build wealth on the backs of the exploited. We will rise and we will rescue.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This leads me to the many safety concerns and challenges that mine workers are faced with in Liberia due to multiple factors including limited training, weak oversight and enforcement, the lack of awareness and community engagement, lack of physical material capacity for effective compliance enforcement, etc. Too many mine workers, mostly thousands of workers hired through artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), are largely exposed to unsafe conditions some of which include: the lack of proper mining equipment, environmental hazards, child labor, unethical usage of mercury, cyanides and civil explosives, lack of protective gears and many more.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The government of President Boakai met these challenges and concerns. But the good news is that the new leadership under the Mines and Energy Minister, Hon. Wilmot Paye, is taking proactive steps to sustainably address these safety concerns facing mine workers. We have initiated concrete programs and policies to curb illicit mining, enhance stronger regulatory and enforcement framework, insist on the use of safety gears including PPEs for mine workers, raise community awareness, prevent environmental policy violations, and compel mining establishments to prioritize emergency response mechanisms. But as important as these bold steps sound, they cannot be enough to address the complexity of mine safety challenges experience in Liberia mining sector. This underscores the importance of this training here today.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">To the workers, rescuers, and trainers present here, in Liberia and elsewhere, I say, you are heroes of the working class, defenders of life and labor. May this training be rewarding for everyone: The courage you applied to be here today is indeed unshaken; it is my fervent prayer that knowledge gained during the course of this training program will serve as a source of safety and empowerment for all. Today, we recommit to building a just, transparent, accountable, sustainable, and equitable extractive sector: one grounded in worker protection, emergency preparedness, environmental justice, and ethical responsibility. Mine rescue is not a technical afterthought; it is the beating heart of a truly humane mining industry.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Fellow participants, this gathering is a declaration that we will not be passive in the face of any form of injustice against mine workers. We will not allow our miners to be buried beneath the weight of negligence. We will rise and we will rescue.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Let me close by reaffirming the unshakable bond between the <strong>Liberian and Chinese peoples</strong>, a bond forged not in boardrooms, but in common causes and values. May this course stand as a symbol of what is possible when nations unite under a banner of peace, cooperation, and progressive development.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Thank you.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>June 17, 2025 </em></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p><em>At The </em><strong>Training Course on Mine Rescue for Belt and Road Countries</strong></p>
<p><strong>Organized and Hosted by the People’s Republic of China, placing focus Mine Workers’ Safety.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Leadership of the Ministry of Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China, The Management of the International Exchange and Cooperation Center, Distinguished Guests, Diplomats and Business Leaders, Stakeholders and Actors in Mining and Energy, Ladies and Gentlemen.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As we have assembled here today to reaffirm our collective commitment to strengthening economic cooperation and reemphasize with oneness of voice and resolve to promoting mining safety across our individual countries through continued capacity-building including knowledge transfer, please permit me to extend our highest sentiments of felicitation and good tidings on behalf of His Excellency Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia, and Hon. Wilmot J. M. Paye, Minister of Mines and Energy.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As this new beginning marks the observance of the historic opening of the<strong> Technical</strong> <strong>Training Course on Mine Rescue for Belt and Road Countries,</strong> this occasion offers all of us yet another unique opportunity to reflect on the immense impact that the Belt and Road Initiative continues to have across developing African countries and other parts of the world, especially in areas of infrastructure, mining, agriculture, and technology since 2013 when it was first launched.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Belt and Road Initiative truly connects continents with much-needed investments. For this, we are grateful to the people’s Republic of China for its willingness to deepen economic cooperation with our countries. With this in mind, I want to welcome everyone to this historic gathering which marks the beginning of placing premier on the safety of mine workers through human capital development – short-term technical training programs. This is an affirmation that the Belt and Road Initiative is not just concerned about investments in infrastructure, agriculture, mining, technology, etc., but it's also particularly concerned about mining safety and rescue.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As we inaugurate this new chapter in our collective pursuit for human dignity, workers’ rights, safety and protection, and international cooperation, it is more than important to reecho that it’s about time to place people before profit and humanity before capital. This technical course represents a turning point in pursuit of this noteworthy cause that prioritizes the interest of the society and the environment.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The inauguration of this technical course, which predominantly embodies knowledge transfer, is a proof of multilateralism and internationalism in practical terms. It creates a platform for nations to foster deepening relations by standing shoulder to shoulder, united not by exploitation and poverty, but by a shared commitment to workers’ safety, workers’ rights, mutual development, and the liberation of working people from the shackles of neglect, marginalization, and disposability.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">May I say with certainty that the <strong>Liberia-China relationship</strong>, rooted in shared values and cherished through decades of renewed cooperation, stands as a shining example of what principled bilateralism represents. Ours is a friendship based not on dependency, but on sovereign partnership, shared prosperity, and the collective upliftment of our both countries.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It is this shared and mutual relationship that makes us even prouder to stand here today alongside the People’s Republic of China, as a steadfast partner in Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We recognize the importance of maintaining this friendship which is anchored to our historic struggle for self-determination, industrial growth, and people-centered progress: from infrastructure to healthcare, from agriculture to education, and now to mine rescue, China has remained a genuine ally to the Liberian people. We honor this enduring solidarity and cooperation. The latest China-funded national survey on mineral resources in Liberia, which has led to the discovery of significant new mineral occurrences that offer fresh opportunities, is a testament of this cooperation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In Liberia, as in many Belt and Road countries, mining plays a critical role in national development. But let us be clear, no economic growth is worth the loss of a single worker’s life. A mine that cannot protect its workers is a mine that must be transformed or closed. This training course, therefore, is not only timely but morally essential. It reaffirms that the lives of miners which are too often undervalued and unseen are not expendable. It tells the world that in this new paradigm of development, we will not build wealth on the backs of the exploited. We will rise and we will rescue.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This leads me to the many safety concerns and challenges that mine workers are faced with in Liberia due to multiple factors including limited training, weak oversight and enforcement, the lack of awareness and community engagement, lack of physical material capacity for effective compliance enforcement, etc. Too many mine workers, mostly thousands of workers hired through artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), are largely exposed to unsafe conditions some of which include: the lack of proper mining equipment, environmental hazards, child labor, unethical usage of mercury, cyanides and civil explosives, lack of protective gears and many more.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The government of President Boakai met these challenges and concerns. But the good news is that the new leadership under the Mines and Energy Minister, Hon. Wilmot Paye, is taking proactive steps to sustainably address these safety concerns facing mine workers. We have initiated concrete programs and policies to curb illicit mining, enhance stronger regulatory and enforcement framework, insist on the use of safety gears including PPEs for mine workers, raise community awareness, prevent environmental policy violations, and compel mining establishments to prioritize emergency response mechanisms. But as important as these bold steps sound, they cannot be enough to address the complexity of mine safety challenges experience in Liberia mining sector. This underscores the importance of this training here today.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">To the workers, rescuers, and trainers present here, in Liberia and elsewhere, I say, you are heroes of the working class, defenders of life and labor. May this training be rewarding for everyone: The courage you applied to be here today is indeed unshaken; it is my fervent prayer that knowledge gained during the course of this training program will serve as a source of safety and empowerment for all. Today, we recommit to building a just, transparent, accountable, sustainable, and equitable extractive sector: one grounded in worker protection, emergency preparedness, environmental justice, and ethical responsibility. Mine rescue is not a technical afterthought; it is the beating heart of a truly humane mining industry.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Fellow participants, this gathering is a declaration that we will not be passive in the face of any form of injustice against mine workers. We will not allow our miners to be buried beneath the weight of negligence. We will rise and we will rescue.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Let me close by reaffirming the unshakable bond between the <strong>Liberian and Chinese peoples</strong>, a bond forged not in boardrooms, but in common causes and values. May this course stand as a symbol of what is possible when nations unite under a banner of peace, cooperation, and progressive development.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Thank you.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>