In all its 159 years of diplomatic life, Liberia has never found itself in a tighter spot than it is now.

The nation played Uncle Sam's naughty boy up to the two world wars and when the Cold War started, it simply took a diplomatic back seat and conferred upon itself the title, "America's traditional friend". That title drew American largesse to Liberia, minus its democratic traditions. The end of the Cold War and the corresponding fizzling of the U.S. largesse forced Liberia to begin looking elsewhere. But been acclimatized to mentor-protégé diplomacy, the nation had not been able to establish and maintain permanent relations where international resolutions and treatise clashed with direct financial assistance. A case in point is even though Liberia upheld the 1971 UN Resolution recognizing China as the sole representative of all Chinese people, thus the One-China Policy, it twice flirted with China's renegade province, Taiwan at the diplomatic level for what that island province had to offer. But things have changed. Now, Liberia seems prepared to live with principles and make amends for past mistakes by upholding the One-China Policy. As with The Analyst Staff Writer Edwood Dennis reports, the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Liberia have once again tightened the bolts of their relations with fresh commitments.

The National Legislature, yesterday, presented a statement to the PRC, reaffirming the joint resolution it passed recently relating to Liberia's upholding of the One-China Policy.

The statement of reaffirmation of Liberia's commitment to reunification of the Chinese people was presented on behalf of the National Legislature, now on "agriculture break", by House Speaker Edwin Snowe, Jr. and the President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Isaac Nyenabo.

The two men were accompanied to the Chinese Embassy by an array of government officials including representatives and senators.

The statement read by Speaker Snowe expressed satisfaction with the rate at which the Sino-Liberia relation was growing with mutual benefits for both peoples and governments.

He praised the Chinese government especially for doing much through bilateral technical cooperation and direct assistance to provide impetus to the Liberia's reconstruction while at the same time concentrating on the nation's human resource development through seminars, working visits to China by Liberian technocrats, and scholarships for advance studies in Chinese universities.

Not only were the Chinese providing reconstruction impetus for Liberia and helping in the area of human resource development, according to him, but also that China has simultaneously revamped a number of projects it was compelled to abandon when its relations with Liberia were strained in the mid-1990s.

Recounting similarities in culture, aspirations, and view of global order on the fight against poverty between Liberia and the PRC, Speaker Snowe said the relations between the two countries were further cemented and strengthened by their desire for global security and peaceful co-existence.

He said like China, Liberia wanted to see poverty reduction in developing country, fair trade, and the transfer of technology to facilitate the process of transforming Africa into a global partner for development and fight against HIV and other health hazards.

Indicating that coming fresh out of war and confronted by enormous challenges, the leaders of the country were prone to making decisions some of which may be wrong, Speaker Snowe said Liberians needed friends that were understanding and empathetic.

He recalled his own mistake recently when he wrote a letter to the Taiwanese consulate in The Gambia in response to request by that diplomatic mission for dialogue with Liberian government officials in relation to the reestablishment of bilateral relations.

"I have realized that the trend taken at the time was wrong and that a diplomatic tie with Mainland China was the rightful path for the state," Speaker Snowe said of a diplomatic saga that nearly caused him his job and cast a temporary cloud over his understanding of government's foreign relation goals and procedures.

He did not say what drove him to the diplomatic flop at the time, but proceeded to recount Chinese assistance to Liberia in the areas of sports, agriculture, health, road reconstruction, and education almost without strings attached at the time of great and urgent needs.

Recommitting the National Legislature to the pursuit of lasting and mutual relations between Liberia and China, Speaker Snowe said all that was needed was for the governments of both countries to remain seized of the basic principles that bind them together.

Presenting the statement of affirmation to Chinese Ambassador Lin Songtian shortly after Speaker Snowe read it, Senate Pro-Tempore Isaac Nyenabo reiterated the National Legislature's gratitude to the Chinese mission in Liberia for the level of assistance given the country since the reestablishment of diplomatic relations more than two years ago.

He said the statement did not only represent the joint position of the National Legislature on the sacredness of the reunification of the Chinese people, but that it also reflected the internal cohesiveness with which the lawmakers view the issue of Taiwan's attempt to undermine effort to gain cross-strait peace and harmony.

The statement, he noted, also affirmed the 2004 Act of the National Legislature reestablishing relations with PRC and effectively ending any relations at diplomatic level with the renegade province of Taiwan.

Indicating that that act has since been printed into handbills by the 52nd National Legislature, Pro-Tempore Nyenabo said there was no doubt that the relations now subsisting between the two countries were clad in iron thereby leaving no room for the recurrence of the fatal diplomatic mistakes of the past.

Accepting the statement on behalf of his colleagues and the government and people of the PRC, Ambassador Lin thanked the high-profile Liberian parliamentary delegation for committing the government of Africa's oldest independent republic to the reunification efforts of the Chinese people.

He said the gesture which he described timely and necessary would go a long way in cementing diplomatic relations between Liberia and China.

Now that the relations were on even keel, the Chinese envoy said, China as the biggest developing country would exert all efforts in ensuring that peace in Liberia was consolidated to make way for the reconstruction of the country.

A pioneer in the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Ambassador Lin who said he has developed extra love for Liberia and its people, revealed that his government was committed to working closely with the Sirleaf Administration in meeting its post-war challenges.

As a manifestation of this commitment at the highest level, he said, the PRC has extended an invitation to President for a state visit to China.

The exact date of the state visit was not disclosed but the Chinese envoy said while in China the Liberian leader will not only hold discussions with Chinese Communist Party and business leaders and a cross-section of Chinese scholars and academicians, but that she would be afforded the opportunity to visit the agriculture regions of China.

Such visits, he said, would give the President first sight and first-hand information on how agriculture and simple technology are essential to national building.

He said given the level of commitment to the reconstruction of Liberia by the Sirleaf Administration, his mission was under obligation persuade his government to uphold its plans for massive development in Liberia.

Besides, Ambassador Lin praised Speaker Snowe for recognizing the mistake he made in the past, noting that while every man was subject to error, what was important was to recognize the errors and make appropriate amends.

Apart from the United States of America, Liberia's traditional ally which has committed millions of dollars to the country, the People's Republic of China is far rising to the challenge to helping Liberia out of its present dismal state.

Meanwhile in another development in Sino-Liberia relations the PRC yesterday manifested its determination to help improve the health needs of the Liberian people by donating to the Health Ministry a consignment of drugs valued over US$30,000.

The drugs are intended to help fight Lassa fever epidemics in Nimba and Bong counties.

Presenting the drugs to Health and Social Welfare Minister Dr. Walter Gwenigale at the Health Ministry, Ambassador Lin praised efforts employed by the Liberian government to fight malaria and other deadly diseases that threaten the impoverished citizens of the country.

Besides congratulating the government for the efforts it is making to ensure a malaria-free environment, the Chinese envoy said the donation was also his country's way of buttressing the efforts.

In response, the Liberian Health Minister praised the Chinese government for continuously identifying with the Liberian people in the quest to get out of 14 years of political, social and economic nightmares.

Since the sitting of the Unity Party-led administration, China has been extremely instrumental in providing basic assistance.

The move has been viewed by observers as essential to Liberia's peace and reconstruction efforts.