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HOME	DECEMBER 10th, 2005

Deepening relations with Mainland China

A nine–member delegation from the National People's Congress of China visited Grenada from December 3–5 as part of the strengthening of relations between the two countries.

An official release in St. George's said that Grenada was the last leg of the tour by the Chinese parliamentarians which took them to Latin America, Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica.

The team included Deputy Secretary–General of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress, Wang Yung Long, the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Hainan Provincial People's Congress, Qin Xingmin.

The Chinese delegation was also made up of a Member of the Law Committee of the Congress, Shen Chunyao, and a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Madam Yang Huizhu.

The Chinese Parliamentarians were hosted by officials of the Chinese Embassy in Grenada led by Ambassador Qian Hongshan and by the Grenada Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), comprising all members of the Grenada Parliament.The visitors arrived at Point Salines International Airport on Saturday and later in the day were entertained at a reception held at the Flambouyant Hotel, sponsored by the Joint Presidents of the CPA, Senator Leslie–Ann Seon, President of the Senate and Lawrence Joseph, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Parliamentarians from both the Government side and the Opposition side in Parliament attended the reception, including Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell, and Opposition Leader, Tillman Thomas.

Despite the inclement weather on the following day, the delegation undertook a bus tour of various interesting and historical sites, including the ongoing reconstruction of the National Stadium, which is being undertaken by the People's Republic of China. The Chinese delegation paid an official visit Monday to the Office of the Prime Minister, and toured the hurricane ravaged York House building which up to last year, before the onslaught of Hurricane Ivan, housed the sittings of Parliament.

Later on that morning, the group visited the Office of the Houses of Parliament, at its new location in the Botanical Gardens and held discussions with the Speaker. According to the release an invitation was extended by the Chinese officials to both the President and Speaker together with a small delegation of Grenadian Parliamentarians to visit China sometime in the near future.