Meeting in Beijing:
Chinese Government and ECLAC to Strengthen Cooperation in the Field of Economic Development
Zeng Peiyan, Vice Premier of the State Council of China, met with José Luis Machinea, Executive Secretary of this regional United Nations commission.
(25 April, 2006) A delegation of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), headed by its Executive Secretary, José Luis Machinea, met with the Vice Premier of the State Council of China, Zeng Peiyan, on Monday 24 April in Beijing. Zeng Peiyan expressed his government's interest in increasing exchanges with this regional United Nations commission.
During the meeting, delegates discussed the status of relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean, analysing the different mechanisms available to increase cooperation between ECLAC and the Chinese government.
As one of the members of the State Council of China, Zeng Peiyan is one of the country's highest ranking authorities. He praised ECLAC's important role in developing economic cooperation with China.
He emphasized that as developing countries, China and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean share much in common on many key international issues and are complementary in economic terms. Moreover, he placed a high value on the relations between both parties and expressed his intentions of deepening political ties, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges "to ensure the development of friendly, mutually beneficial cooperation," he added.
Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan belongs to the Political Bureau and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. During his lengthy career he has held other positions, among them, Vice-Minister of the Electronics Industry, Vice-Minister of Construction, Deputy Secretary-General of the Central Economic and Financial Leading Group, and Vice-Minister of the State Planning Commission.
Since 2003, he has been Deputy Leader of the State Council Leading Group for Informatization, Deputy Director of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, and Head of the Office of the State Council Leading Group for Western China Development.
Also participating in the meeting were Vice-Minister Liu He, of the Office of the Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs, headed by the President of the People's Republic of China, Hu Jintao. This body is composed of the top-ranking leaders of the country's administration. In this position, Liu He has played a vital role in developing China's macroeconomic policy.
José Luis Machinea took advantage of the occasion to invite Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan to visit ECLAC's headquarters in Santiago, Chile. Zeng Peiyan thanked him and indicated he planned to travel to Chile in the near future.
The ECLAC delegation, which also included Robert Devlin, Regional Advisor in ECLAC's Washington office, and Andras Uthoff, Officer in Charge of ECLAC's Social Development Division, was in Beijing to take part in the Second Economic Policy Dialogue.
Seminar on Economic Policy of Latin America-PR China, organized by the German Cooperation Agency GTZ, in which Vice-Minister Liu He was participating, and during which distinguished experts exchanged experiences regarding current trends and challenges facing economic and social policies in Latin America and the People's Republic of China.
For questions, please contact ECLAC Information Services: dpisantiago@cepal.org; Tel: (56 2) 210 2380/2149.
