Accra, April 3, GNA - Mr Yu Wenzhe, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China, on Thursday said the Chinese Government would build a number of hospitals in the country to deepen the socio-economic ties between Ghana and China.

He said since independence there had been close cooperation in all spheres - political, social and economic - and called for the strengthening of the union to their mutual benefit. Mr Yu said this when he visited the Ghana News Agency to familiarize himself with its activities and to renew the friendship with the Agency. He said the GNA like its counterpart Xinhua in China had a vital role to play in the gathering and dissemination of relevant information that would enhance the image of the country.

"The responsibility of the media is very important," he said, and added that technology had made the world a global village, which therefore made it imperative for news agencies to be current in order to become the preferred medium of information dissemination. Mr Yu lauded the GNA for its leadership role in newsgathering and dissemination, which to some extent had influenced government decisions.

He said the Chinese government together with the government of Ghana had undertaken numerous development projects including the National Theatre and the ongoing Bui Dam.

To further strengthen the cooperation between the GNA and Chinese Embassy, the Ambassador donated three sets of computers and accessories to the Agency and promised further support.

Mr Boakye-Dankwa Boadi, Supervising Chief Editor of GNA, said the Agency was in strategic partnership with Xinhua under which they exchanged news items on batter terms, with GNA covering Ghana and Xinhua covering the rest of the world.

He said the Agency propagated the foreign policy of the Government, which incidentally was very favourable towards China. Mr Boadi, who is also the Acting Managing Director of the Agency, expressed gratitude to the Embassy and said the Agency would continue to work to solidify the relationship that had been established. Mr Raymond W. Ankomah, Director, Business Development Department of Mr Si Wei, Press Attach=E9 at the Chinese Embassy, accompanied Ambassador Yu. 3 April 08