Chinese Consul General Visits Inverness

The Consul General of the People’s Republic of China, Madam Guo Guifeng will pay a courtesy visit to the Provost of Inverness during a visit to the city tomorrow (Friday 19 August) to meet representatives from the Chinese community and other organisations.

Provost Bill Smith invited the Consul General to visit Inverness following a reception which he attended at the Chinese Consulate in Edinburgh earlier this year.

He said: "The visit will provide an opportunity to outline to Madam Guo Guifeng the significant developments that are taking place in and around Inverness and also explore the opportunities for closer co-operation with China."

David Henderson of the Loch Ness Partnership will be one of the representatives introduced to the Consul General during her visit. David is due to travel to China later this year as a delegate for the "Lakes Conference" which will focus on tourism development.

The connections between Inverness and China have developed in recent years through a number of visits made by delegations from different parts of China to Inverness and the surrounding area. 

In 2003 Provost Smith led a delegation of Inverness councillors and business representatives to China following an invitation from the mayor of the city of Dongying who had previously visited Inverness.  Dongying was celebrating its 20th anniversary as a modern city and was holding a major conference and trade exhibition in which a number of Highland businesses took part.  The provost and his colleagues also visited the city of Jinan and made contact with both city and provincial government representatives. 

Due to the close connections made between Inverness and China arrangements have been made for Mr Xu Bingan, Vice Director of the Foreign Affairs Office, Hengshui City, to be seconded to work in the Town House for a 6 month period from April 2006. Mr Xu Bingan was part of a delegation that visited Inverness in December 2004.

 
ENDS