From 18 to 22 October, the Government of The Bahamas hosted Diplomatic Week 2026. H.E. Yan Jiarong, Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, was invited to deliver remarks at the opening ceremony. The full text of her address is as follows:

Prime Minister, the Honourable Philip Davis;

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, the Honourable Frederick Mitchell;

Excellencies and colleagues:

It is a great honour to speak as Dean, on behalf of the diplomatic corps accredited to The Bahamas. One becomes Dean by staying longer than everyone else, and in such a beautiful country, that is no hardship.

This country knows how to hold a festival, and I am sure you are all amazed by the talented and beautiful performance just now. It demonstrates the great potential of the orange economy of this country, which is a main theme of this week.

For the diplomatic corps, Diplomatic Week is the biggest festival of the year. Bahamian heads of mission come home. Our non-resident colleagues fly in. For a few days everyone we need to see is in one place, and nobody can tell us they are traveling. Minister Mitchell began this tradition in 2014, and it is now in its thirteenth year. Minister, the diplomatic corps thanks you.

Honourable Prime Minister, on 12 May the Bahamian people gave you a second term. No Bahamian government here had won a consecutive term since 1997. Diplomats are trained not to publicly predict an election, but we are happy to congratulate you and the administration.

Winning the election gives Minister Mitchell a fourth term as Foreign Minister. We are grateful, as all of us who work with you benefit from your profound experience. Our thanks also go to the entire Foreign Ministry, for your support and cooperation rendered to us. I wish to extend a special thank you to Director General Ali. If I had to choose only one word for her, it would be accessible. When we have a problem, she takes the call. When the answer is no, she tells us quickly. In our profession that is a kindness.

Before I go into the details of Bahamian Foreign Affairs, I am reminded of Prime Minister Davis’s speech a minute ago and also of his remarks at the most recent United Nations General Assembly. Indeed, as an important sovereign state in the Caribbean, The Bahamas has long pursued an independent foreign policy. With mature diplomatic experience, The Bahamas has achieved impressive results in regional and international cooperation. In 2026, for example, The Bahamas established diplomatic relations with Chad and Djibouti. It played a pivotal role in the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti. It provided medical and humanitarian assistance to Cuba. It became the first CARICOM member state to join the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas. It signed its first Country Programme Framework with the International Atomic Energy Agency. On 1 October it was re-elected to the Council of the International Organization for Standardization. We congratulate The Bahamas on their hard-earned recognition.

We value the work The Bahamas does for the unity of CARICOM, and we welcome its drive to diversify its trade, which is one of the main themes of this week. We hope the Bahamas will continue to speak for small island states at the United Nations and in this region.

As the Prime Minister highlighted minutes ago, The Bahamas now seeks a seat on the Security Council for 2032 and 2033. There is an old saying in these islands: every day is a fishing day, but not every day you catch fish. I cannot promise a single vote on behalf of the corps. I can report that The Bahamas has put its boat in the water early, and that it has many friends on the dock.

The diplomatic corps stands ready to work with the Government and the people of The Bahamas. We respect the sovereignty of The Bahamas and the path its people have chosen. We wish to see the Bahamas have more and more friends, and forge more and more international partnerships of its own choice. Let’s all be BRAVE (as PM Philip Brave Davis) for “a whole new world” and a better world as in the song just now.

We wish Diplomatic Week 2026 every success.

Thank you.