ST. GEORGE‘S, Grenada (CARIBUPDATE): Grenada has served public notice of its plans to establish relations with China following a national address by Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell in which he highlighted Beijing’s importance in world politics and complained about the quality of relations with Taiwan. In a 20 minute national address, Prime Minister Mitchell stopped short of using the term, but gave a clear indication that the best strategy is to establish relations with China. Foreign Affairs Minister Elvin Nimrod was more direct in responding to a question on a television talk show afterwards. He confirmed that the switch is now being considered. “Grenada’s foreign and diplomatic policies must also be consistent with these international trends. We are too small and too vulnerable to ignore such trends,” Prime Minister Mitchell said in his address in arguing for closer ties with China. “Politically and diplomatically, it is in the long term best interest of Grenada to ensure that it does not become an isolated state within the polarized but wider global community,” he added, in noting that most develop countries and Caribbean states have relations with Beijing. Prime Minister Mitchell was giving an address on his controversial trip to Beijing last week that has sparked an unprecedented debate in Grenada about how the island’s foreign policy is being conducted. His report of a “successful” visit, contrasted with a media report in Barbados last week which courted the Chinese Ambassador in Bridgetown as saying that there was no agreement during the visit because Grenada’s aid demands were too high. Nimrod said he was aware of the report, but that the ambassador had denied he had made the comments. “I am therefore pleased to report that in Beijing we successfully negotiated a package of assistance that will flow directly to various sectors of our economy and our country, and will extend over the next five to six years,” Mitchell reported. “It is a significant package that we have negotiated and it will assist Grenada through a difficult period. The understanding between both sides is that, until the official signing, we cannot disclose the specific details. You’ve got to bear with me on this,” he said in the address. But Prime Minister Mitchell said among the areas there could be an agreement on is the rebuilding of Grenada’s national stadium, which strongly indicates the government is ready to set aside the 40 million dollar rebuilding pledge from Taiwan. China has stated that a break in relations with Taiwan, which it considers a breakaway province, is a prerequisite for any assistance. Mitchell said that the relations with Taiwan had significantly cooled in the last two years, even though the country remained the island’s biggest foreign aid donor. He said the way the relations were being managed was “a source of great concern” for his government in recent times. While Prime Minister Mitchell did not go into details in his address, Foreign Affairs Minister Nimrod said in the television program afterwards that Mitchell was snubbed during a visit to Taipei. Mitchell denied embarking on the recent visit to Beijing without informing Taiwanese officials both in St George’s and Taipei. “Some six months or so ago, therefore, I informed the local representatives of Taiwan that I had opened certain channels of communications with the People's Republic of China, and that certain emissaries had been sent to initiate discussions. If they did not take me seriously, I cannot be blamed for this,” the Grenadian leader said. “Your Government is not angry with Taiwan. Yes, we have been frustrated, recognizing the relations that existed before this Government came into Office in Taiwan. We have been disappointed. But, we are not angry,” he declared. Reprinted from Caribupdate.com