President leads 10-member delegation to China

President leads 10-member delegation to China

Guyana Chronicle
March 25, 2003

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A DELEGATION led by President Bharrat Jagdeo and comprising senior Government officials and members of the private sector left for China yesterday to begin a State visit to that country on March 27. The delegation includes First Lady Varshnie Jagdeo; Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Navin Chandarpal, Minister of Foreign Trade and International Development, Mr. Clement Rohee, Director General in the Foreign Ministry, Ms. Elisabeth Harper; the President's Aide-de-Camp Major Walter Morris, and Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Hamilton Green. Other members are Managing Director of the Laparkan group of Companies, Mr. Glen Khan; Managing Director of Wireless Connection, Mr. Maxwell Thom; Managing Director of Solomon Enterprises, Mr. Stanford Solomon and Advisor to the President on Investment, Mr. Manniram Prashad.

During his visit, President Jagdeo is scheduled to have discussions with the recently elected President of China, Hu Jintao, as well as the newly elected Premier Wen Jiabao.

Their discussions would centre on a wide range of issues, including a review of Sino-Guyanese relations and the exploration of areas for strengthening bilateral technical and economic cooperation.

President Jagdeo is also expected to brief the new Chinese Leader on issues relating to Guyana's sovereignty and territorial integrity and on general developments in Guyana.

The Guyanese Leader will also meet the Chairman of the National People's Congress.

The Guyana Head of State and team will also visit the cities of Guangzhou and Shanghai before returning to Guyana, during the first week of April.

Mayor Green will participate in the twinning of the city of Georgetown and Fujian, the capital of the Fuzhou province.

Since the formal establishment of diplomatic relations on June 27, 1971, Guyana and China have maintained strong bilateral relations accentuated by contact in the political, diplomatic, economic and cultural arena.

The Guyana/China ties are cemented in the Guyana/China Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation, and through a number of agreements including the Agreement on Culture and an agreement on Inter-ministerial Consultations between the ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries.

President Jagdeo's visit is in return to the State visit by Madame Wu, a member of the 16th Communist Party of China Central Committee and a member of the Political Bureau of the 16th CPC Central Committee on January 6, last.

The following day, Guyana and China signed several legal documents to reduce the debt burden, enhance technical and economic cooperation between the two countries, provide financing for the construction of a US$5M Convention Centre at Turkeyen by China and the provision of two coaches, in martial arts and table tennis, and an interpreter to work in Guyana for a one-year period. (GOVERNMENT INFORMATION AGENCY - GINA)