BUENA VISTA HOTEL
NASSAU
MONDAY 1ST NOVEMBER 2004

SALUTATIONS…
 
 

There is a time for every Ambassador to present his credentials at the beginning of his Tour of Duty; and there is a time for him to take his Official Leave at the end of his Tour, according to the wishes of his Government. This is a normal occurrence in the course of diplomatic relations and we all take it in stride.

And so, during my tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs, I have had occasion to host several of these farewell receptions.

They have always been pleasant occasions, as I would thank the Ambassador for his work and contribution in The Bahamas in furthering friendly and productive relations between his country and ours and wish him the best.

But this evening, as we bid farewell to Ambassador Jiao Dongcun of the People’s Republic of China, the feeling is different.

We are saddened by the fact that his term has been shortened by the illness of his wife in Beijing; and he must return to be at her side, after only 16 months in this post as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China.

This sadness, however, is balanced by the fact that during his 16-month stay here in The Bahamas, Ambassador Jiao has had a profound and lasting impact on Bahamian society, in that he has worked untiringly and successfully to foster a deeper understanding among Bahamians of the culture of China and her history.

Striking examples of these efforts were the visits to The Bahamas of an Acrobatic and Martial Arts Troupe in October, 2003 and a Puppet Troupe in July 2004.

Both of these were well received by the Bahamian People and we look forward to more of these in the future.

Correspondingly, there have been visits to China by the Bahamas Liturgical Dance Troupe in May of this year and the Bahamas National Youth Choir in July, where the Chinese People were exposed to the culture of The Bahamas.

On the business and commercial side, it is my pleasure to say that over the past year, the level of contact between Chinese and Bahamian businessmen has been unprecedented, as groups of Bahamian businessmen, more than ever before, have travelled to various Chinese cities to attend international trade fairs such as the China International Fair for Investment and Trade in Xiamen and the International Trade Fair in Guangzhou.

This is just the beginning of the positive business links that we can and will continue develop between our two commercial sectors, thus contributing to the growth of international trade and the continued development of both our economies.

On the Chinese side, there were two important visits to The Bahamas during Ambassador Jiao’s term, by officials of the China International Trade and Investment Corporation (CITIC) and the China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO), who are interested in doing business in the Freeport area as a part of the expansion of the Port activities. The Prime Minister met with the CEOs of these two groups in China, during his recent Official Visit; and we are convinced that they both have the financial and organizational capacity, as well as the will, to carry out the number of investments planned for The Bahamas in the years ahead.

In addition, on the political front, there have been important visits by Chinese officials to The Bahamas since you, Excellency, presented your credentials to the Governor General on August 21, 2003. First, there was the visit of the Vice Minister of Culture, Mr. Zhou Heping, on November 2, 2003, for a three-day stay. During this visit, some critical and important discussions were held with the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture concerning a Cultural Agreement between our two countries.

Another important achievement on the political front was the visit, in April of this year, of Vice Minister Liao Xiaoqi, who led a twelve-man delegation to The Bahamas to discuss matters relating to technical cooperation and bilateral trade relations. At that time, our two countries exchanged letters regarding China’s support of The Bahamas’ application for accession to the World Trade Organization.

Correspondingly, a day after Ambassador Jiao presented his letters of Credence to the Governor-General in August, 2003, the Minister of Transport and Aviation and myself commenced a visit to China that was both business and political. During that visit, I had the pleasure of holding discussions with His Excellency Li Xiaoxing, Minister of Foreign Affairs and other Government officials.

The following month, Minister Leslie Miller accepted an invitation from the Chinese Government to attend the world-famous International Trade Fair in Guangzhou, near Hong Kong.

All of these interactions have heightened the awareness of the Bahamian People of China, its culture, her polity and her history. And so it was no surprise, when a few weeks ago, on September 29, a group of prominent Bahamians announced the formation of the Bahamas China Friendship Association whose primary function is to foster closer social and cultural ties between our two countries at the non-governmental level. This, undoubtedly, is a new dimension in Bahamas-China relations.

The high point of the relationship between China and The Bahamas has certainly been the recent Official Visit of the Prime Minister, the Rt. Honorable Perry Christie, to the People’s Republic of China, from August 16 to August 21, 2004.

This was a most momentous occasion in the history of both China and The Bahamas, as it consolidated the link between the two countries; and on a wider scale, heralded China’s continued respect and support for Third World countries, and, reaffirmed The Bahamas’ unswerving adherence to the One-China Policy.

During this visit, The Bahamas and China signed the Cultural Agreement which had been negotiated earlier. However, the most important achievement of the Visit was indeed the signing of an Agreement whereby China gave a grant, in the amount of $30 million dollars, for the construction of a 15,000 seat stadium here in Nassau.

So, Ambassador Jiao, I wish to say on behalf of the Government and the People of The Bahamas that your time with us has been marked by sincere friendship, unflagging goodwill and significant achievements.
 

We thank you for all that you have done and we wish you and your family all the best in the years ahead.

I thank you.