The Tribune

EXECUTIVES and members of the Bahamas-China Friendship Association paid a courtesy call on Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling at Government House on Wednesday.

The Bahamas-China Friendship Association was founded on September 29, 2004, to deepen and expand the people-to-people relationship with the People’s Republic of China.

The founding officers of the association included: President Joseph Curry; Vice President Sir Arthur Foulkes; Secretary Philip Simon; Treasurer Anthony McKinney; Assistant Treasurer Marlon Johnson; Public Relations Director Anthony Capron; and Trustees Brian Wong, Lowell Mortimer and Carey Leonard. A representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs served as an ex-officio of the executive body in the person of Philip Miller, under secretary in that ministry.

Gershan Major, the current president of the association said: “As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the objectives of the association remain as relevant today, as from when they were first penned, and some may submit even more so.”

The association was founded to promote, foster and encourage good relationship, goodwill and people-to-people contact between the people of the Bahamas and the people of China and to afford them the means of and the opportunity for social intercourse, mutual helpfulness and assistance, moral improvement, friendly collaboration and rational recreation; promote good understanding of the cultures of the people of the Bahamas and China through cultural exchanges and to facilitate the study of the language, culture and history of both countries; advance economic and trade opportunities through entrepreneurial development and participation in trade fairs and investment tours; provide relief and assistance to the people of the Bahamas in anyway whatsoever and especially in cases of emergency and likewise, to make donations to the people of China from time to time in respect of relief or social enhancement and assist in the improvement of the general social, economic, spiritual and material welfare of the peoples of The Bahamas and China.

Mr Major explained that the association, under its newly elected officers, is excited about how it will continue to build on its objectives to improve the educational exchanges, affording more Bahamian students the access to be able to study in China and for Chinese students, to now study at The University of The Bahamas, particularly, the subject of English.

“We will continue to work closely with academia as we have in the past. We will continue to promote and encourage an increase in two-way trade and commerce with the Business community – including the financial services and tourism sectors, we will aid in the increase of cultural exchanges through the arts, music, dance, fashion and food,” he said.