Mancham accorded red carpet treatment on China goodwill visit
Seychelles' founding President James R. Mancham's role as a peace maker won high recognition from the Overseas Chinese Affairs office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (PRC) who was hosting him on a goodwill visit to China from September 19-26, 2014.
The former President and his wife Catherine were met on their arrival from Hong Kong at the Nanjing International airport on Saturday September 20 by Lan Xu and Xian Jun both of the Overseas Chinese Affairs office of the State Council of the PRC who had flown from Beijing and who were both accompanied by Jin Junqlu, director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs of the Jiangsu provincial government and Guo Dongmei, director of the Overseas Affairs office of the Jiangsu provincial government.
On Saturday afternoon President Mancham and his wife visited the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine which is regarded as the most prestigious school of Chinese Medicine in the world where in a colourful ceremony in the presence of the staff and members of the medical faculty Mr Mancham was appointed by Professor Qin Liu, director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department of the University, as honorary chairman of the Board of Nanjing University of Chinese Traditional Medicine for five years (September 20, 2014 to September 20, 2019).
On Saturday evening the governor of the Jiangsu province hosted a welcome gala dinner in honour of the former President and Mrs Mancham.
The highlight of the programme on Sunday September 21 was the visit to the memorial hall of the victims of the Nanjing massacre by Japanese invaders from December 1937 to January 1938 when over 300,000 Chinese lost their lives in cruel and atrocious circumstances. The director of the centre who afterwards invited Mr Mancham to plant a Peace Tree in the impressive entrance compound surrounding the memorial hall next to the tree that was planted two years ago by former US President Jimmy Carter said that while “Forgiving is one thing, forgetting is another”.
Mr Mancham, who was asked to volunteer one line to be inscribed where his tree was planted, said that “the memorial hall testifies to the ugliness of war and as to why in this age of nuclear capacity Peace had to be the priority item on the agenda of all nations”.
That evening following a visit to the famous Zhou Zheng gardens, the Manchams were hosted to another sumptuous dinner while cruising across the Jing Hu Lake.
If most items on the programme were meant to keep alive the memory of China's cultural heritage and ancient civilisation, there were two items which certainly highlighted China’s impressive achievements over the recent years.
The first of these was the trip by bullet train which took the Seychelles' visitors from Suchou to Beijing central station at an approximate speed of 400km per hour in the most comfortable surroundings one can imagine. No doubt China today leads the world in the manufacturing of trains. Let us not forget that only a few months ago China announced that it was about to invest over US $3.5 billion to provide Kenya with a railway system that will link Mombasa to Nairobi and beyond to other African destinations.
The second event was the visit that Mr Mancham paid to the headquarters of the China National Ship Building Corporation which is today regarded and recognised as the world's largest and most reputable ship construction company.
Mr Mancham, who had long discussions with the president of this company, shared how he was amazed at the in-house technology which the corporation uses both for civilian and naval purposes.
In the evening the Manchams were guests at a special Chinese opera performance at the Beijing opera.
The next day former President Mancham was hosted to a tea party at Beijing Royal Tea Garden by Tang Jia Xuan (member of the State Council and also former Minister for Foreign Affairs of China).
Speaking on this occasion Mr Tang said that the Overseas Chinese Office was honoured and happy to host this goodwill visit for Mr Mancham because they had been impressed with his policy of National Reconciliation between and within nations which he had consistently promoted at several international forums.
“In view of the influential position you enjoy in Seychelles and globally we believe it was important for you to discover the changing China in all its aspects - culturally, socially and economically,” he told Mr Mancham.
In his reply, Mr Mancham stressed that as he is convinced that “no future global architecture can be peacefully and successfully be implemented without consideration of the China factor, then getting to know what the new China is all about becomes an essential element in the process of facing today's reality”. He said he was therefore “most grateful to the Overseas Chinese Office of the State Council of the PRC to have engineered this memorable eye opening goodwill visit”.
Following the high level discussions between Mr Tang and former President Mancham, the party attended a farewell launch also at the Royal Gardens hosted by Her Excellency Qui Yuan Ping, Minister for the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council.
Mr and Mrs Mancham were particularly touched by the generosity, kindness and openness of everyone encountered in China during their visit and willed to grow the relationship further.
The former President and his wife Catherine were met on their arrival from Hong Kong at the Nanjing International airport on Saturday September 20 by Lan Xu and Xian Jun both of the Overseas Chinese Affairs office of the State Council of the PRC who had flown from Beijing and who were both accompanied by Jin Junqlu, director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs of the Jiangsu provincial government and Guo Dongmei, director of the Overseas Affairs office of the Jiangsu provincial government.
On Saturday afternoon President Mancham and his wife visited the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine which is regarded as the most prestigious school of Chinese Medicine in the world where in a colourful ceremony in the presence of the staff and members of the medical faculty Mr Mancham was appointed by Professor Qin Liu, director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department of the University, as honorary chairman of the Board of Nanjing University of Chinese Traditional Medicine for five years (September 20, 2014 to September 20, 2019).
On Saturday evening the governor of the Jiangsu province hosted a welcome gala dinner in honour of the former President and Mrs Mancham.
The highlight of the programme on Sunday September 21 was the visit to the memorial hall of the victims of the Nanjing massacre by Japanese invaders from December 1937 to January 1938 when over 300,000 Chinese lost their lives in cruel and atrocious circumstances. The director of the centre who afterwards invited Mr Mancham to plant a Peace Tree in the impressive entrance compound surrounding the memorial hall next to the tree that was planted two years ago by former US President Jimmy Carter said that while “Forgiving is one thing, forgetting is another”.
Mr Mancham, who was asked to volunteer one line to be inscribed where his tree was planted, said that “the memorial hall testifies to the ugliness of war and as to why in this age of nuclear capacity Peace had to be the priority item on the agenda of all nations”.
That evening following a visit to the famous Zhou Zheng gardens, the Manchams were hosted to another sumptuous dinner while cruising across the Jing Hu Lake.
If most items on the programme were meant to keep alive the memory of China's cultural heritage and ancient civilisation, there were two items which certainly highlighted China’s impressive achievements over the recent years.
The first of these was the trip by bullet train which took the Seychelles' visitors from Suchou to Beijing central station at an approximate speed of 400km per hour in the most comfortable surroundings one can imagine. No doubt China today leads the world in the manufacturing of trains. Let us not forget that only a few months ago China announced that it was about to invest over US $3.5 billion to provide Kenya with a railway system that will link Mombasa to Nairobi and beyond to other African destinations.
The second event was the visit that Mr Mancham paid to the headquarters of the China National Ship Building Corporation which is today regarded and recognised as the world's largest and most reputable ship construction company.
Mr Mancham, who had long discussions with the president of this company, shared how he was amazed at the in-house technology which the corporation uses both for civilian and naval purposes.
In the evening the Manchams were guests at a special Chinese opera performance at the Beijing opera.
The next day former President Mancham was hosted to a tea party at Beijing Royal Tea Garden by Tang Jia Xuan (member of the State Council and also former Minister for Foreign Affairs of China).
Speaking on this occasion Mr Tang said that the Overseas Chinese Office was honoured and happy to host this goodwill visit for Mr Mancham because they had been impressed with his policy of National Reconciliation between and within nations which he had consistently promoted at several international forums.
“In view of the influential position you enjoy in Seychelles and globally we believe it was important for you to discover the changing China in all its aspects - culturally, socially and economically,” he told Mr Mancham.
In his reply, Mr Mancham stressed that as he is convinced that “no future global architecture can be peacefully and successfully be implemented without consideration of the China factor, then getting to know what the new China is all about becomes an essential element in the process of facing today's reality”. He said he was therefore “most grateful to the Overseas Chinese Office of the State Council of the PRC to have engineered this memorable eye opening goodwill visit”.
Following the high level discussions between Mr Tang and former President Mancham, the party attended a farewell launch also at the Royal Gardens hosted by Her Excellency Qui Yuan Ping, Minister for the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council.
Mr and Mrs Mancham were particularly touched by the generosity, kindness and openness of everyone encountered in China during their visit and willed to grow the relationship further.
Forrás: www.nation.sc