On September 14th, 2023, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness attended and addressed the Opening Ceremony of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project Part-A. Cabinet Members, MPs, government agency supervisors and business representatives were also present.

Prime Minister Holness affirmed that Jamaica and China are engaged in “a mutually beneficial and respectful relationship” and that Jamaica is “willing to partner with all countries in the world that come genuinely to assist our development”. He dispelled the “unfortunate perception” that “Jamaica is being overrun by Chinese interests” and stressed that the country’s debt to China is “minuscule”. He also said that Chinese companies made a big difference to Jamaica as 603 out of the 754 workers for the project are Jamaicans.