By IANS/CMC,
Bridgetown (Barbados) : A delegation from China has arrived in the Caribbean for a visit to three countries in the region to observe the parliamentary system of government.
The delegation, which has already visited Suriname, has now arrived in Barbados. It will later visit Antigua and Barbuda. The team is being led by vice chairman of the standing committee of the National People’s Congress, Chen Changzhi.
The delegation will visit the Barbados parliament Tuesday.
Barbados has one of the oldest parliamentary systems in the western hemisphere, and Chen said the delegation hopes to “learn from each other and develop hand-in-hand”.
He said he believed the visit would deepen the understanding of the “two people, two parliaments and also our two countries”.
Barbados Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Maxine McClean said the visit was an opportunity for the Chinese administration to gain a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of the Barbadian political system.
“The Chinese system of governance is evolving and they are interested in how certain procedures operates in countries with whom they share strong relations,” McClean said.