THE GRENADA delegation arrived in Beijing Sunday, with a Chinese official praising Prime Minister Keith Mitchell’s “strategic view of global considerations.” Prime Minister Mitchell is in China to seek aid for his battered country, which will also likely end in the island establishing diplomatic relations at the expense of its 20-year old relations with rival Taiwan. ‘It is in Grenada’s best interest in the medium and long term, due to its limited resources at this time and being disenfranchised by Hurricane Ivan, to establish strong friendships with countries the world over,” Prime Minister Mitchell was quoted as saying on arrival. Director of Information Selwin Noel wrote in a media dispatch from Beijing that “China has indicated that it wants to play its part in the revival of not only the development process but in a new page of bi-lateral relations.” The Grenada delegation was met on arrival by the Acting Director General of the Department of North American and Caribbean Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a low level foreign affairs official, who praised Grenada’s new world view. That new world view is being interpreted as diplomatic speak for the apparent Grenada foreign policy decision that it might be better off dealing with mainland China, than Taiwan, who is recognized by only a handful of states. Grenada has been a prime beneficiary of Taiwanese assistance, especially in the last 10 years, but the New National Party government is hoping that that their Chinese rival will provide much more, at least in the short term. “There is every indication that China is desirous of being a partner in Grenada’s path to the future, with China being sympathetic over the misery caused by Ivan,” Noel wrote in his dispatch. Delegates of the two countries will sit down to further talks Monday to hammer out agreements on a number of wide ranging areas from tourism to agriculture to sports and culture. Source: caribupdate.com