On the afternoon of April 12, 2024, President Xi Jinping held talks with Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, who is in China for a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Noting that the China-Suriname friendship has a time-honored history and has grown from strength to strength, Xi Jinping said Suriname was one of the first Caribbean countries to establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, establish a strategic partnership with China and sign the Belt and Road cooperation plan with China. The two countries have always respected each other and treated each other as equals, setting a fine example of South-South cooperation. China is ready to work with Suriname to further consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen economic and trade cooperation, expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges, step up international coordination, and promote the building of an even closer China-Suriname strategic cooperative partnership to better benefit the two peoples.

Xi Jinping stressed that China highly appreciates Suriname's friendship and its firm support for China on issues concerning China's core interests and major concerns. China also firmly supports Suriname in safeguarding its national sovereignty and independence and independently choosing a development path suited to its national conditions. China is ready to continue to understand and support each other with Suriname, maintain high-level exchanges, increase friendly exchanges between departments, legislative bodies and political parties, and enhance the exchange of experience in governance. China welcomes more high-quality and distinctive Surinamese products to enter the Chinese market, and stands ready to deepen Belt and Road cooperation with Suriname, enhance synergy of development strategies, and expand cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, agriculture, energy, mining, infrastructure development and digital economy to bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples. Noting that Suriname is one of the countries with the largest number of overseas Chinese in the Caribbean and the first country in the Western Hemisphere to mark the Chinese New Year as an official holiday, Xi stressed that the two sides should continue to encourage people-to-people and cultural exchanges, facilitate personnel exchanges, and jointly build Confucius Institutes. The two countries should strengthen sub-national cooperation and constantly enrich bilateral exchanges and cooperation. China is ready to work with Suriname and other developing countries to strengthen multilateral coordination, solidarity and cooperation, safeguard common interests, achieve common development and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China attaches importance to developing relations with the Caribbean countries, supports the Caribbean countries in seeking prosperity and development and improving people's well-being, and stands ready to continue to provide assistance within its capacity for the economic and social development of countries in the region.

Chandrikapersad Santokhi said Suriname and China enjoy time-honored friendly exchanges. The Chinese community in Suriname has made important contributions to the national development of Suriname. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Suriname and China 48 years ago, Suriname has always firmly adhered to the one-China principle and will continue to unswervingly support China in achieving national reunification. China has provided valuable assistance to Suriname in fighting COVID-19 and promoting economic and social development, and bilateral cooperation in agriculture, health, infrastructure, and other fields has yielded fruitful results. All these have demonstrated the high political mutual trust and deep brotherly friendship between the two countries, greatly boosted Suriname's economic development and improvement of people's livelihood, and set a good example of South-South cooperation. President Xi Jinping has proposed such important global initiatives as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, and advocated an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, which is of great significance to upholding multilateralism and promoting world peace and sustainable development. Suriname supports these initiatives and is ready to strengthen coordination with China to jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. He looks forward to taking this visit as an opportunity to further strengthen exchanges between political parties of the two countries, expand cooperation in such fields as economy, trade and investment, green development and climate response, and further deepen the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. Suriname is ready to work actively to promote the development of relations between the Caribbean countries and China.

After the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents on economy, trade, investment, green development, digital economy, education and other fields.

The two sides issued a Joint Press Communiqué between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Suriname.

Prior to the talks, Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan held a welcoming ceremony for Chandrikapersad Santokhi and his wife Mellisa Santokhi-Seenacherry at the square outside the East Gate of the Great Hall of the People.

Upon Chandrikapersad Santokhi's arrival, the guard of honor lined up in salutation. As the two heads of state stepped onto the stand, the military band played the national anthems of China and Suriname, and a 21-gun salute was fired at Tian'anmen Square. Accompanied by Xi Jinping, Chandrikapersad Santokhi reviewed the guard of honor of the People's Liberation Army and watched the march-past.

Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan held a welcoming banquet for Chandrikapersad Santokhi and his wife at the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People in the evening.

Wang Yi was present at the above events.