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| Newly appointed Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Barbados, Xu Hong presented Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean with a Tri-coloured Glazed Pottery of a Mural during a recent courtesy call. (A. Miller/BGIS)?? |
Thirty-five years of longstanding and unwavering diplomatic relations between Barbados and China have been lauded as symbolic of the commitment to the One China Policy.
Newly appointed Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Barbados, Xu Hong, made this observation when he paid a courtesy call on Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean, at her Culloden Road Office on Wednesday.
"This year marks our 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations.?? It is important to recognise our past and future [as well as] Barbados’ commitment to China over the years and throughout successive governments.?? China also thanks Barbados for its support and cooperation in international affairs," Ambassador Xu said.
In her remarks, Minister McClean welcomed the envoy to the island and expressed the hope that he would have a successful tour of duty. She noted that the long relationship between Barbados and China was significant and pointed out that almost every Barbadian Prime Minister had visited the Asian country.
Ambassador Xu also urged the Barbados Government to identify areas of cooperation and to utilise the initiatives offered by the Chinese Government. He stated that his prime objective was to "further develop and enhance cooperation between the countries, implement development initiatives: and continue to stimulate people-to-people relations."
In response, the Foreign Affairs Minister said: "We are exploring ways to fast track working with China," and she indicated that there was an increase in people-to- people relations between the two countries, adding that the scholarships offered by the Chinese Government to Barbadian students were of significant benefit.??