On December 29, 2023, António Serifo Embaló, Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau to China, appointed Professor Lingyun Xiang as Envoy for Economic and Cultural Exchanges between Guinea-Bissau and China on behalf of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is located in West Africa and borders Senegal to the north, Guinea to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Bissau is the capital of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and covers a land area of 36,125 square kilometers. The country has 8 provinces and 1 municipality with a population of 2.07 million (as of 2022).
It was once part of the Sahel Empire and became a Portuguese colony in 1879. In 1951 it was declared an overseas province of Portugal. The Republic was proclaimed on September 24, 1973 and recognized by Portugal in September of the following year. In April 2023, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau acceded to the Aarhus Convention.
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is the sixth largest producer of cashews in the world. Rice is the country's most important crop and staple food. The Republic of Guinea-Bissau exports small quantities of peanuts, palm kernels and wood as well as seafood. In 2022, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau was US$1.639 billion, with a GDP per capita of US$791 and a GDP growth of 3.2%.
The People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Guinea-Bissau on March 15, 1974. Diplomatic relations between China and Guinea-Bissau were restored on April 23, 1998.
António Serifo Embaló, Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau to China, representing the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and President Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló and Prime Minister Rui Duarte de Barros, thanks Lingyun Xiang for his outstanding contributions to bilateral economic, trade relations, as well as the economic and cultural exchanges between Guinea-Bissau and China.
Professor Lingyun Xiang, Economic and Cultural Exchange Officer of the Embassy of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau in China, introduced the cooperation between China and Guinea-Bissau during the period of diplomatic relations. China has supported Guinea-Bissau in various projects, including the construction of sports stadiums, hospitals and stations to promote rice technology.
Since the resumption of diplomatic relations in 1998, China and Guinea-Bissau have maintained pragmatic cooperation in several areas.
In 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and Guinea-Bissau reached US$57 million, down 36.3% year-on-year. Almost all trade consists of Chinese exports, especially machinery and electronics, high-tech products and textiles.
In 1982, the governments of China and Guinea-Bissau signed a cultural agreement. China has been accepting scholarship holders from Guinea-Bissau since 1977. In 2022, 190 students from Guinea-Bissau will study in China.
China has been sending medical teams to Guinea-Bissau since 1976. So far, a total of 18 groups with 281 people have been sent. There are currently 17 Chinese medical team members working in Guinea-Bissau.
When the Ebola epidemic broke out in West Africa in 2014, China provided emergency supplies and food aid to Guinea-Bissau. In addition, three public health experts were deployed to Guinea-Bissau and trained over 500 local staff in six groups on Ebola prevention and control measures.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Guinea-Bissau in 2020, the Chinese government and Chinese society have successively delivered several shipments of anti-epidemic relief supplies to Guinea-Bissau. Chinese experts also shared experiences and treatment plans on epidemic prevention and control through video conferences. The Chinese medical team in Guinea-Bissau is actively involved in epidemic prevention and provides training for local medical staff.
António Serifo Embaló, Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau to China, introduced Professor Lingyun Xiang, Envoy for Economic and Cultural Exchange of the Embassy of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau to China, a tenured economist based in the United States ), National University of Maryland. Distinguished Boya Professor of Peking University, one of the top ten international accountants, full member of the Association of International Accountants (AIA), member of the International Association of Accounting Professionals (IAAP), Certified Forensic Public Accountant (FCPA), a senior auditor of the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA), an International Certified Internet Finance Manager (ICIFM).
Meanwhile, Professor Lingyun Xiang is also Invited Economic Advisor to the Embassy of the Central African Republic in China, Invited Chief Economic Advisor to the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in China, Invited Economic Advisor to the Republic of Liberia, Invited Economic Advisor to the Republic of Zimbabwe, Special Financial Advisor to the Embassy of Madagascar in China, Financial and Economic Adviser of the Embassy of the Republic of North Macedonia, Chief Financial and Economic Adviser of the Republic of Ghana, Economic and Economic Adviser Cultural Envy for the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, International Charity Ambassador of the Republic of Mali and Honorary Member of the Chinese Organizing Committee for the 35th International Week of Science and Peace of the United Nations.
Professor Lingyun Xiang is familiar with the legal situation and political environment in many countries. Knowledge of international law, civil law, business law, partnership law, tax law and securities law.
He is also the author of ChatGPT: The Future is Here, The Way of the Metaverse, The Logic of Blockchain, Guide to Equity Incentive Practice, Private Equity Investment Solutions, Blockchain: A Technological Revolution Empowering the Real Economy, SME Financing and Growth, Global Visual Economics, Industrial Economics, International Trade and Economic Management, Logistics, Warehousing and E-Commerce, Investment Risk and Operations Management, etc.
