Huizhou Municipal Government grant in 2017 for the Samoa-China Friendship Park Project (Linked to Record ID#65359)

Project narrative

The Huizhou Municipal Government provided a grant in 2017 for the Samoa-China Friendship Park Project. The estimated value of the grant is $12,725,706.30. In 2015, the Prime Minister of Samoa (Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi) and the Mayor of Huizhou (Mai Jaiomeng) signed an MOU on Friendly Cooperation between the cities of Huizhou and Apia. As part of this agreement, Huizhou Municipal Government pledged to construct a Friendship Park. The Huizhou Bureau of Housing, Urban and Rural Planning and Construction visited Apia in November 2017 to meet with the Government of Samoa. The intention of the visit was for the two Governments to mutually agree on specific procedures and the final design plans. Details of the Draft Design for the Friendship Park was finalized following in-depth technical consultations and review with the respective local sectors. When the Draft Design plans were accepted, the two Governments proceeded with formalizing the respective agreements before implementation began. The Friendship Park fit into the broader Apia Waterfront plan, launched in 2016. The project implementer was the Bureau of Housing, Urban and Rural Planning, and Construction of Huizhou Municipality. The project commenced in December 2018. On May 11, 2018, Chinese Ambassador Wang Xuefeng attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the China-Samoa Friendship Park and Samoan Art and Cultural Center (as captured via Record ID#65359). On July 20, 2018, Wang Xuefeng and Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa signed the cooperation framework agreements for both the Friendship Park and Cultural Center. On July 4, 2019, the handover ceremony for the Apia Waterfront Events Space, Clock Tower Boulevard, and Volleyball Courts Project occurred. As noted by Chinese Ambassador Chao Xiaoliang, the Events Space and Clock Tower Boulevard were funded by the New Zealand government while the volleyball courts were funded by the Chinese Government. In the same speech, Chao Xiaoliang also mentioned that the construction of the entire Friendship Park would be finished in 2020. The project was expected to be complete in June 2020. However, a measles outbreak in the fall of 2019 and the Covid-19 global pandemic in 2020 temporarily halted project implementation activities, as workers could not travel. Then, in February 2020, it was announced that the opening of the Friendship Park would be delayed from March 2020 to May 2020 due to poor weather. Construction resumed in May 2021 and was expected to be complete by October 2021. A final project handover certificate was issued on May 28, 2022.