On January 7, 2015, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Perry Christie of Bahamas at the Great Hall of the People.

Xi Jinping extended welcome to Perry Christie for his attendance at the opening ceremony of the first ministerial meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in China. Xi Jinping stressed that China attaches great importance to its relations with Bahamas and is ready to, together with Bahamas, respect each other, treat each other as equals, and expand cooperation, so as to promote China-Bahamas relations for sustained and healthy development. Both sides should maintain high-level exchanges, intensify exchanges and cooperation at various levels, enhance practical cooperation in economy, trade, investment, agriculture, fishery, new energy, human resources training and other fields, and expand exchanges in such areas as tourism, education and culture. The Chinese side is willing to enhance communication and coordination with Bahamas on reform of the United Nations, climate change, reform of the international financial system and other global issues.

Xi Jinping noted that I held meetings with the leaders of those Caribbean states that have established diplomatic relationship with China soon after I assumed office as the President. With the joint efforts of both sides, the outcomes of the meetings are being implemented and the relationship between China and Caribbean countries has scored continuous progress, which benefited the two peoples. Bahamas, which holds the rotating chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has made plenty of contribution to the first ministerial meeting of China-CELAC Forum, for which I appreciate. China stands ready to, together with all CARICOM members, to promote China-Latin America overall cooperation to a new high and ensure that the China-Latin America overall cooperation mechanism and the China-CARICOM cooperative mechanism interact with each other favorably to better serve the economic development of Caribbean countries.

Perry Christie expressed that over the past 17 years since the establishment of Bahamas-China diplomatic relationship, the bilateral friendly cooperation has been continuously deepened, bringing important interests to the two peoples. The education cooperation between the two countries provides students in Bahamas with more opportunities in the engagement of higher education, and the mutual visa-waiver agreement between the two sides offers the two peoples with facilitation for appreciation of the culture in the other country. Bahamas looks forward to a closer cooperation between the two countries on investment and trade, welcomes more Chinese tourists to travel in Bahamas, expects Chinese enterprises to participate in the construction of tourism-related infrastructure, and hopes to work with the Chinese side to have exchanges in culture, education, sports, air transportation, ocean research and other fields.

Perry Christie noted that China-CELAC Forum will provide a new platform and create a better environment for cooperation between China and Bahamas as well as between China and CARICOM. CARICOM welcomes China's preferential financial support and hopes that China will provide more assistance for improving human resources capabilities in Caribbean countries, especially the capability construction of the youth. As the rotating chairmanship of the CARICOM, Bahamas will make positive efforts for CARICOM-China cooperation and Latin America-China cooperation.

Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi and others were present at the meeting.