On March 18, 2023, Ambassador Wang Qing accompanied President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio to attend the “Leone Rock Metal Group” Football Tournament Final sponsored by the Chinese enterprise Leone Rock Metal Group. President Bio kicked off the match. Ambassador Wang Qing, Minister of Sports of Sierra Leone Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, and CEO of Leone Rock Metal Group Mr. Zhao Ting addressed the match.
Ambassador Wang Qing said in his speech that China has always actively supported the Sierra Leonean government and people in their development of sports by building the National Stadium and Bo Stadium. The Chinese side also encourages Chinese enterprises in Sierra Leone to actively fulfil their social responsibilities while doing their own businesses and take concrete actions to help the social development of Sierra Leone. Ambassador Wang highlighted that the friendly cooperation between China and Sierra Leone has a long history and has achieved fruitful results. Faced with new opportunities for development, the two sides should further enhance understanding and friendship through sports exchanges, to lay a more solid foundation for the development of China-Sierra Leone relations.
Mr. Ibrahim Nyelenkeh thanked China for its consistent and strong support and assistance to the development of sports of Sierra Leone, and applauded Leon Rock Metal Group’s sponsorship of the match as a model of mutually beneficial cooperation between Sierra Leone and China. The Sierra Leonean side is willing to continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Chinese side in the field of sports, to push the relationship between Sierra Leone and China to a new level.
Mr. Zhao Ting introduced the operation of Leon Rock Metal Group and its support for the development of various social undertakings in Sierra Leone over the years. He said that Leon Rock Metal Group, as a Chinese enterprise, will continue to contribute to the friendly cooperation between China and Sierra Leone.
During the match, the Confucius Institute of the University of Sierra Leone performed Chinese-featured dances, martial arts and other cultural programmes.
