ＮＰＣ Ｖｉｃｅ Ｃｈａｉｒｍａｎ Ｃｈｅｎｇ Ｓｉｗｅｉ Ｌｅａｄｓ ＣＬＡＦＡ Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ ｔｏ Ｔｈｒｅｅ Ｌａｔｉｎ Ａｍｅｒｉｃａｎ Ｃｏｕｎｔｒｉｅｓ

Cheng Siwei， vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and president of the China-Latin America Friendship Association (CLAFA)， led a CLAFA delegation to visit Jamaica， Cuba and Venezuela from January 2 to 16 at the invitation of the Jamaica-China Friendship Association (JCFA)， the Cuban Institute of Friendships with the Peoples (CIAP) and the Association of Venezuela-China Friendship.

It was Vice Chairman Cheng’s third visit to Latin America since he became president of the CLAFA. Jamaican Governor General Kenneth Hall and Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller， Cuban National Assembly of People’s Power President Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada and Minister of Government Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz， and Venezuelan National Assembly Vice President Roberto Hernandez met with the delegation on separate occasions. Governor General Hall and Sergio Corrieri Hernandez， member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and president of the CIAP hosted banquets in honour of the delegation.

Vice Chairman Cheng Siwei made speeches in Spanish at the University of Havana in Cuba and Pedro Gual Institute of Higher Diplomatic Studies in Venezuela， on China’s current economic situation and social conditions， the political， economic， cultural and nongovernmental exchanges between China and Latin American countries and their development prospects， and answered questions raised by the audience about China’s political and economic relations with Cuba and Venezuela， economic globalization， etc.. About 200 teachers and students of the University of Havana and over 100 personages of various circles in Venezuela were present. The speeches were warmly received.

The vice chairman also had interviews with reporters from the ANTV and other media in Venezuela， during which he talked about the activities organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China-Latin America Friendship Association.

During the delegation’s visit to Jamaica， Vice Chairman Cheng Siwei presented a medal and certificate of China-Latin America Friendship to Howard Cooke， the 90-year-old former governor general of Jamaica and former patron of the JCFA， in recognition of his contributions over the years to the promotion of friendship between the people of Jamaica and China. Howard Cooke who lived far away from the capital could not come to receive the medal due to advanced age. The current governor general Hall accepted the medal on his behalf. It was the first time that the CLAFA conferred such medals upon friendly personages in the Caribbean region.

Vice Chairman Cheng and his party attended a welcoming reception given by the China-Latin America Chamber of Commerce in Miami， the U. S. during their stopover in the city. The government of Miami presented a golden key symbolizing friendship to the vice chairman.

Li Xiaolin， vice president of the CPAFFC， accompanied Vice Chairman Cheng Siwei on his visit to the three Latin American countries. During the visit， Li Xiaolin briefed the friendship-with-China organizations in the three countries on the friendship activities the CPAFFC conducted with countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region in recent years， and invited the Jamaica-China Friendship Association， the Cuba-China Friendship Association and the Association of Venezuela-China Friendship to send delegations to the Fourth Latin America and Caribbean Regional Conference of Friendship Organizations with China that would be held in Beijing in September this year.