Guyana-China Friendship Park Commissioned

Guyanese President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali commissioned the Guyana-China Friendship Park located on the West Bank Demerara, at a ceremony on April 12, 2026.

Chinese Ambassador Yang Yang, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, cabinet ministers, foreign envoys accredited to Guyana, and thousands of local residents also jointly attended the event.

The upgraded park stands at 66,700 square metres and features facilities such as Chinese-style pavilions, a basketball and tennis court, children’s activity centre and open-air theatre space. It was completed in 18 months and was funded through a US$10.8 million grant from China.

Ambassador Yang warmly congratulated the successful commissioning of the facility, formerly known as the Joe Veira Park. She noted that this is a landmark livelihood project for balancing sustainability and high-quality construction, and a vivid manifestation of the long-lasting friendship between the two nations. With the shared goal of building the community with a shared future, China stands ready to work with Guyana to strengthen high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), enhance mutual trust, and deepen pragmatic cooperation.

Patrons, on Sunday, flocked the Guyana–China Friendship Park at Schoonord, West bank Demerara, Region Three, for its official opening (Delano Williams photos)

President Ali applauded the huge success of this project. He spoke highly of the China’s contributions to Guyana’s social development. He emphasized that the friendship between China and Guyana is time-honored and strong as ever. He added that Guyana is open to pragmatic cooperation across all fields with China, so as to open a new chapter of modernization for both countries.

“Here you will find benches for the weary, paths for the wandering and space for the simple sacred act of being together. To the government and people of the People’s Republic of China, we receive this gift as a treasure,” President Ali said.

“...This friendship park stands as a milestone on a road we are walking together into a future bright shared achievement. May it endure for generations and may it forever stand as a monument to cooperation and relation between Guyana and the People’s Republic of China,”  Ali said.