As the sun sets into the Caribbean Sea, leaving a brilliant trail of red in its wake, the coast of Antigua offers a breathtaking beauty. After immigrating to Antigua, one will never be short of sunshine, beaches, and stunning seascapes. Since establishing diplomatic relations over 30 years ago, Antigua and China have seen significant development and exchange in various fields, particularly in the area of investment immigration, where the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Program has been highly sought after by Chinese investors. On December 10, 2015, Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda Ren Gongping met with Governor-General Williams and his wife, Lady Sandra, to exchange views on further strengthening bilateral relations and people-to-people exchanges.
Ambassador Ren presented Governor-General Williams with the original congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping on the occasion of the Governor-General's birthday, and conveyed President Xi's warm greetings and best wishes. Ambassador Ren stated that the leaders of China and Antigua attach great importance to the development of bilateral relations. Through the joint efforts of both sides, political mutual trust has been continuously strengthened, and pragmatic cooperation in a wide range of fields has yielded fruitful results. The Governor-General is an old friend of the Chinese people and has done a great deal of work to promote the development of bilateral relations. In particular, to promote people-to-people exchanges, the Governor-General and his wife have personally served as heads of the Antigua-China Friendship Association and have actively organized and planned bilateral cultural exchange activities, which the Chinese side highly appreciates. The Chinese Embassy is willing to work closely with the Antiguan side to jointly promote people-to-people exchanges and push for the continuous and in-depth development of bilateral relations.
Governor-General Williams asked Ambassador Ren to convey his deep gratitude to President Xi, stating that China is a sincere and trustworthy friend of Antigua and Barbuda. The mutual support and cooperation between Antigua and China are a vivid manifestation of developing countries working together for common development. People-to-people exchange is an important link in promoting the continued forward development of bilateral relations. The Antiguan side will fully leverage the platform of the Antigua-China Friendship Association to further strengthen its working ties with the Chinese side, continuously develop the traditional friendship between Antigua and China, and benefit the people of both countries.
Ambassador Ren also presented a batch of books introducing Chinese culture to the Antigua-China Friendship Association and stated that the Chinese Embassy is willing to cooperate with the Antiguan side to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries.