PRESS STATEMENT BY
MR. JOSEOPH CURRY, PRESIDERNT
AD INTERIM, BAHAMAS CHINA
FRINDSHIP
ASSOCIATION
29th
September 2004
In
1997 the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the
Government of the People’s Republic of China agreed to establish
diplomatic relations. Since then there has been, at the official level,
a strengthening of the relationship between the two countries.
We have been honoured with visits by
high-level members of the Chinese government including Madam Wu Yi in
2003, who at the time was State Councillor and who now holds the Office
of Vice Premier of China
There
have also been visits to China by high-level members of The Bahamas
Government. Just recently the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Perry G. Christie
himself led a delegation of Ministers and officials of the government on
a successful State Visit to China.
The
Government of China has demonstrated its friendship for the Bahamian
people by offering scholarships to young Bahamians to study in China;
making generous contributions to our cultural development in the form
of top of quality musical instruments of the Magnet School for the
Performing Arts and providing timely financial assistance in the
aftermath of hurricane.
The most recent announcement of friendship and cooperation between the
two countries was the agreement by China to build a sports stadium for The Bahamas to contribute even further
to the development of our young people through sports.
In
today's world there is a growing and welcome tendency not to leave
the relationship between nations to governments alone but to encourage
and expand that friendship on a people-to-people basis as well.
It
was for this reason that some of us decided to establish a nongovernmental
organization: and so I take great pleasure in announcing today the
formation of The Bahamas-China Friendship Association.
Before
I tell you a little more about the Association I should like, on behalf
of the organizing committee, to thank for their assistance and
encouragement: Prime Minister Perry Christie, Minister of Foreign
Affairs Fred Mitchell and the Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas H.E.
Jiao Dongchun.
I should like
especially to thank H.E. Dame Ivy Dumont, Governor General of The
Bahamas, for graciously consenting to be Honorary President of the
Association.
I
should also like to thank the organizing Committee for their dedication
and time in the establishment of this important organization.
The objectives of The Bahamas-China Association are:
To
promote friendship, goodwill and people-to-people contact between both
countries;
To
promote understanding of both countries through cultural exchanges and
the study of the language, culture and history of both;
To
promote economic and trade opportunities and entrepreneurial development
through participation in trade fairs and investment tours;
To
provide mutual relief and assistance to the people of both countries in
times of emergency and for social enhancement; and
To
assist in the improvement of the social, economic and spiritual welfare
of the peoples of both countries.
The
Association will be open to the membership of all persons who share its
objectives including students; academicians; business and professional
people and retired government and public officials.
We
have established for the time being four categories of membership and
dues: students $25 per annum for high school and $50 per annum for
college; individuals $100 per annum; association and organizations $250
per annum; and corporate $500 per annum.
An
interim, the officers
of the Association are: President, Joseph Curry; Vice President, Sir
Arthur Foulkes; Secretary, Philip Simon; Treasurer, Anthony McKinney;
Assistant Treasurer, Marlon Johnson; Public Relatio_s Director, Anthony
Capron; and Trustees, Brian Wong, Lowell Mortimer and Carey Leonard. A
representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will serve as an ex-officio
of the Executive in the person of Mr. Philip Miller, Under Secretary
in that Ministry.
After
membership in the organization has been expanded then a general
meeting of all members will be called and officers duly elected.
