A delegation of senior legislators from the People’s Republic of China arrived in Barbados yesterday with the aim of learning from their Barbadian counterparts on its parliamentary system of governance.
Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislative body, Chen Changzhi, accompanied by other members of the NPC, arrived at the Grantley Adams International Airport as part of a three-day trip to the island to observe the parliamentary processes in the country.
The delegation was met by Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly, John Boyce, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean, who described the visit as one which would aid in strengthening bilateral relations with the Asian country.
With Barbados being regarded as one of the oldest Parliamentary systems in the Western hemisphere, in existence for nearly 375 years, Chen revealed that the senior Chinese lawmakers found it fitting to visit the country and noted that the extensive parliamentary know-how of the island would greatly assist the Chinese Legislature in governance practices, with the potential to “learn from each other and develop hand-in-hand.”
Chen further stated that he believed the visit would be one of success through which the two developing nations would deepen the understanding of the “two people, two Parliaments and also our two countries.”
Senator McClean echoed that the visit was an opportunity for several levels of the Chinese administration and political directive to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of the Barbadian political system.
She cited, “The Chinese system of governance is evolving and they are interested in how certain procedures operates in countries with whom they share strong relations. We have had significant exchanges and technical support and cooperation and it is an ongoing process of building that relationship and engaging at the level of the political directive and, of course, beyond that there is a scope from people-to-people exchanges as well.”
She later expressed that the interaction between citizens of the two countries were increasingly facilitated through instances where many Barbadian graduates of Chinese universities returned to Barbados with the added benefit of fluency in distinct languages, notably Mandarin.
She disclosed that such individuals were currently interfacing with the business community and facilitating dialogue between Barbadian business people and business interests in China.
Courtesy calls to the Deputy Speaker and President of the House and Senate are scheduled for today with a visit to Parliamentary sessions on Tuesday, followed by an evening reception hosted by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Michael Carrington.
The three-day trip to the island is part of a wider visit to the region with the NPC Standing Committee having recently visited Suriname. The delegation is also scheduled to visit the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda later this week.
(Source http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=local&NewsID=20787)
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