APC Secretary-General impressed with China visit
Secretary-General for Sierra Leone’s governing All People’s Congress Osman Foday Yansaneh has spoken of how highly they are impressed, thus far since they arrived on an official political visit to the People’s Republic of China. The 10 man APC delegation is in China upon the invitation of the Communist Party of China.
Osman Foday Yansaneh is leading the delegation, comprising of representatives from across the four regions of Sierra Leone. It includes Alhaji M S Kargbo Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Kadiatu Mansaray, APC Women’s Koinadugu District, Mohamed Sesay from Port Loko District, Issa Kanu from Bombali District, David Fornah and Abdulrahman Bangura both from the National Secretariat, Rebecca Koroma, Women’s and Leader Kailahun District, Madam Zainab Bangura, APC Women’s Leader southern province, Mohamed Bangura, Youth Leader Tonkolli District.
Speaking briefly on the phone from Yinchuan City, northwest Chinese industrial city in China, Ambassador Osman Yansaneh said the trip has so far been impressive and productive given that they have leant a lot in terms of how the Communist Party of China is involved in every aspect of China’s development. “We have learnt a lot as a party and for us at government level back home, we are playing our role in terms of rural development”, he said.
Ambassador Yansaneh promised to forward their findings and lessons learnt to the local councils not along partisan bases but at a national level. “When we think development, it should affect everybody irrespective of party”, he said. Based on what they have seen in the cities they have visited so far, he said, there will be the need for the municipalities in Sierra Leone to visit China and learn from them on a range of issues.
Since their arrival in Guangzhou on the 11th of August, they have met with chiefs of the CPC in the various cities they have visited, as well as attended a dinner held for them by the Leader of Guangdong Province and also visited the Agriculture Equipment General Company, Academy of Agricultural Sciences and a number of companies in the Economic Development Zone.
The delegation has visited Yinchuan city, where they learnt a lot about agricultural technology extension work, construction of migrate poverty point, amongst others. Here, the delegation was also hosted to a dinner by the Leader of the Communist Party of China for the municipality.
Expected in Beijing on the 17th, the team will be visiting the Great Wall, listen to a lecture on the ‘Work Method and Experience of Chinese Rural Development and Poverty Work’ to be delivered by Huang Chengwei, Deputy Director of China International poverty centre.
His Excellency, Sierra Leone’s envoy to China, Victor Bockarie Foh will also be hosting them on the Sunday, 18th of August, when they would have arrived in Beijing on the 17th . Given his position as former Secretary-General of the APC and passion for the party, Ambassador Foh is expected to discuss with his successor ways of further strengthening ties between the CPC of China and the APC.
Since the establishment of relations between Sierra Leone and China in 1971, a move led by late Siaka Stevens, both the APC and CPC of Sierra Leone and China, respectively have been working on closer collaboration.
Since 1971 when Sierra Leone and China established diplomatic relations, there have been major high profile reciprocal visits by leaders of the two countries not only at the government to government levels, but also at the party level.
From the Chinese side, in 1978, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Ji Pengfei visited Sierra Leone, as was also the case with the Vice Premier Tian Jiyun who visited Sierra Leone in November of 1994. In 1985, Vice Chairman Liao Hansheng of the Standing Committee of the Natio0nal People’s Congress visited Sierra Leone. At the Sierra Leone side, President Stevens visited China in 1973, 1981 and 19875. William N.S. Conteh, Speaker of Parliament at the time, visited twice, in 1984 and 1987, so also was President Joseph Saidu Momoh (late) in 1986 and 1990.
Both the APC and CPC have had long standing ties and friendship since the days of late President Siaka Stevens.
Speaking on 30th July this year, Wang Heming, Deputy Director- General, Bureau of African Affairs, at the International Department of the Central Committee Communist Party of China (CCPC) spoke of how the long time friendship and sound collaboration between the two parties have eventually led to an encouraging trend in the state-to-state ties between China and Sierra Leone.
He assured Ambassador Victor Bockarie Foh of the CPC’s readiness to “widen and strengthen the relationship with the APC” At the said meeting, Ambassador Foh called for further collaboration and closer working relations between the APC and the CPC, given that party and government are intertwined.
Meanwhile, an exclusive interview will be conducted with Osman Yansaneh on a range of political issues, including the general outcome of their visit to China.
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