China will sponsor the National Forensic Testing Centre through a grant aid agreement that was signed in Port of Spain on Tuesday.

Grant aid is a form of financial assistance extended to a developing country (a recipient country) without an obligation for repayment.

 The “Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago”  was signed by Minister of National Security Stuart Young, on behalf the TT Government, His Excellency Song Yumin, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China.

 The Ministry of  Caricom and Foreign Affairs did not reveal  details of the Grant Aid  in a News Release issued on Wednesday morning,

 But it explained that “the agreement entails the provision of grant aid by the Government of China to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for the operationalisation of the National Forensic Testing Centre and for the implementation of other projects agreed upon between both Governments.”

The existing Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Centre at Barbados Road, Federation Park, St Clair, began operations at its present location on December 01, 1983.  It was condemned under the Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) Act in 2013 for inadequate storage facilities and limited workspace among other problems.

The Centre encompasses both forensic pathology and forensic science. The Centre has a staff of eighty (80), which includes a number of highly skilled professional experts in various disciplines.

File Photo shows His Excellency Song Yumin (left) with National Security Minister Stuart Young.