Eleven journalists representing the mainstream media, private sector and Government Communication Unit are currently in China on a “cultural exchange” trip from 5th-14th December.
The trip was arranged by a task force from the Chinese Embassy in Papua New Guinea (PNG), after a meeting with members of the local media in November.
Deputy Secretary to Prime Minster, Dr Derek Mane, who flew to China from South Korea, is leading the delegation.
Mane said the trip comes under the Cultural Exchange component in the Education Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the governments of Solomon Islands and China recently.
According to the schedule, the places they will be visiting include Beijing, Guangzhou, Jiangmen, Sanya and Shanghai.
Some of the places consist of China’s best historical sites, tourism destinations, media companies, traditional medical hospital, government and agriculture.
Five of them arrived on Thursday in Beijing and visited the China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters, the iconic Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City and watched the ‘Kungfu Legend’ show at Beijing Red Theater.
The rest of the team arrived Friday and together they will visit the PRC’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Foreign Affairs before flying out to Guangzhou province.
They will spend two days in Guangzhou and Jiangmen, three days in Sanya and Shangai before returning to Honiara next weekend.
Leon Liang Jiang of the soon to be established Chinese Embassy in Solomon Islands said this is the first official media delegation to China since the establishment of the SINO-SI relations.
“This will be a historic and fruitful trip and all of us will be the creators of history,” he said.
The team returns to Honiara on 14th December.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
in Beijing
