By Bejay Browne.
An official delegation of officials from China’s Jiangxi province visited the Paphos municipality and were received by the mayor, according to a municipal spokesman.
Phedonas Phedonos, welcomed the seven-member Chinese delegation, and referred to the ‘traditional friendship ties’ that connect Cyprus with China.
China’s Jiangxi province has a population of more than 45 million, the spokesman said.
In recent years, he added, Paphos has hosted hundreds of Chinese nationals who have chosen the town Paphos as their place of residence. The mayor briefed the delegation on the town’s social, economic and cultural development and noted the need to promote direct air connections between
Cyprus and China as a prerequisite for the further development of relations between the two countries, “on all the levels”.
“The head of the Chinese delegation, the secretary of the ruling Communist Party in the province of Liu Qi, said he fully shared the need for a direct air link between the two countries and assured the mayor that he would raise the issue with his government,” the spokesman added.
The Chinese official also said that he was impressed by the hospitality of the people of Cyprus, as well as the natural beauties of Paphos and Cyprus overall.
The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Paphos Mayor, Christos Makarios, the Consul for the People’s Republic of China in Cyprus, and responsible officials of the municipality of Paphos plus the Embassy of China in Nicosia.
After the meeting, the mayor and deputy mayor accompanied the Chinese delegation on a tour through Paphos’ old town.
