The Prime Minister of Grenada Dickon Mitchell has arrived in Beijing. He will pay an official visit to China from January 11 to the 17, at the invitation of the Premier of the State Council Li Qiang. Our reporter Zheng Chunying has more.
ZHENG CHUNYING Beijing "Prime Minister of Grenada Dickon Mitchell just landed in Beijing to kick off his official visit to China from Jan. 11 to 17, Jan. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Grenada, that's what makes the visit vital at this moment. During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Prime Minister Mitchell. Premier Li Qiang will hold a welcoming ceremony for him, and they will hold talks and jointly attend a signing ceremony of cooperation documents. Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, will also meet with Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell. The two sides will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern. Besides Beijing, Prime Minister Mitchell will also visit Zhejiang and Shanghai. Grenada is an important country in the Caribbean region and an important partner of China in the region. The two sides signed the Memorandum of Understanding on joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2018. According to statistics from Chinese Customs, bilateral trade volume between China and Grenada in 2022 totaled $23.02 million, up 12.6 percent year-on-year. Exports from China to Grenada amounted to $22.75 million, up 11.4 percent year-on-year. Caribbean country has benefited from cooperation with China in areas such as infrastructure development, expansion and modernization of the airport and road network. And it's hoped that the two countries will explore more opportunities for win-win cooperation through the prime minister's China visit. ZCY, CGTN, BJ."