iafrica.com Posted Wed, 26 Feb 2003

Cuban President Fidel Castro met Chinese counterpart Jiang Zemin in Beijing on Wednesday, as the two countries inked trade accords and aid agreements on the opening leg of a four-day trip.

Dressed in signature green military fatigues and cap, Castro (76) arrived at the Capital Airport aboard a Russian-made Ilyushin plane and was warmly greeted by a group of Chinese officials.

Later on Wednesday, the veteran Cuban leader held talks with Jiang after a formal welcoming ceremony in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

Castro told reporters he had enjoyed cordial talks with Jiang, who had asked him about the situation in Cuba.

"A minute ago, Comrade Jiang Zemin asked me about the situation in Cuba," Castro said.

"When I heard the question, I felt a little like chuckling, since when so many people ask me how things are in Cuba, the usual Cuban comrade would normally say 'very good.'

"Very few Cubans would say our system is only so-so or even bad. I had some reservations when I heard comrade Jiang Zemin raise the question, because China's situation is so good.

"But don't worry. I'll be frank. I really do feel our country's situation is excellent."

Jiang described the talks as "excellent" after an hour-long meeting which was followed by China signing an accord offering economic and technical assistance to Cuba.

China is Cuba's third most important trading partner after Venezuela, which provides the island with cheap oil, and Spain, which has hotel chains deeply invested in the tourism industry.

China took over as Cuba's main political and financial partner in the early 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The trade balance, however, clearly favours China. According to official figures here, in 2001 Cuba exported $70-million worth of goods to China, while it imported $547-million's worth.

Castro arrived from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, where he attended a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. He began his Asian trip with a three-day visit to Vietnam.

The visit to China is his first since late 1995.

He has developed close personal ties with Jiang, who visited Cuba in November 1993 and April 2001.

Talks between the two could be one of the last bilateral presidential meetings for Jiang, also 76, who is expected to step down as China's president in March after his second term is completed.

www.channelnewsasia.com First created: 26 February 2003 1606 hrs (SST) 0806 hrs (GMT) Last modified: 26 February 2003 1606 hrs (SST) 0806 hrs (GMT) 

Dressed in his signature green military fatigues and cap, President Castro was warmly greeted by a group of Chinese officials at the Capital Airport.

Later Wednesday, the veteran Cuban leader will hold official talks with his long-standing communist counterpart Jiang Zemin, following a formal welcoming ceremony in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

The 76-year-old Cuban president arrived from attending a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He had begun his Asian trip with a three-day visit to Vietnam.

This visit to China is his first since late 1995.

President Castro has developed close personal ties with his Chinese counterpart, who visited Cuba in November 1993 and April 2001.

President Jiang, who is the same age as his Cuban counterpart, is expected to step down as China's president in March after his second term is completed.

Thus, the upcoming talks between the two presidents could be one of the last bilateral presidential meetings for him.

China is Cuba's third most important trading partner after Venezuela, which provides the island with cheap oil, and Spain, which has hotel chains deeply invested in the tourism industry.

China took over as Cuba's main political and financial partner in the early 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The trade balance however clearly favors China. According to official Chinese figures, in 2001 Cuba exported US$70 million worth of goods to China, while it imported US$547 million worth.

www.brunei-online.com

KUALA LUMPUR (AP) - Despite cancelling his appearance, beleaguered Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez scored a diplomatic victory at a summit Tuesday when the 116 mostly developing countries voiced support for his government.

The final draft declaration of the Non-Alignment Movement, to be adopted by leaders before closing their summit later Tuesday, expressed "support to the government of Hugo Chavez Frias, elected democratically with the support of the majority of votes."

It also urged Chavez's government and the opposition to seek a "just solution" to the crisis in his country, where two powerful explosions rocked the capital early Tuesday.

When summit preparations started last week, Chavez's political opponents were taking to the streets to protest the arrest of the leader of an unsuccessful two-month strike to force early elections. The strike devastated Venezuela's economy and deepened polarisation over the leftist president's rule.

Chavez foes accuse him of being undemocratic and alienating investment. Chavez calls his opposition an "oligarchy" thwarting his efforts to end social injustice.

Addressing the summit's closing ceremony, Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton thanked non-aligned leaders for their "words of support."

china.scmp.com Wednesday, February 26, 2003 AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Havana

Workers at a Beijing flag factory sew Cuban flags ahead of the visit to the capital by Fidel Castro, his first trip to the mainland for eight years. Agence France-Presse photoCuban President Fidel Castro will arrive in Beijing tomorrow for his first visit to China in eight years.

Dr Castro, who has led the Americas' only communist country for more than four decades, regards China as his greatest political and economic ally.

The visit comes just days after US Secretary of State Colin Powell's trip to Beijing. Mr Powell on Monday hailed a "new dimension" in Sino-US relations, despite getting no assurance that the central government would back the Bush administration's policies in Iraq or North Korea.

Mr Castro, whose visit to Beijing follows a trip to Kuala Lumpur, where he attended the Non-Aligned Movement summit, is due to meet the new central government leaders elected in November's 16th party congress - just as he did on his sole previous trip to China in 1995.

Dr Castro developed close personal ties with outgoing President Jiang Zemin, who visited Cuba in November 1993 and April 2001.

The looming Iraq conflict is likely to be high on the agenda.

China took over as Cuba's main political and financial partner in the early 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union.

It is currently the main credit provider for businesses on the island, which is isolated from mainstream US and European financial organisations.

By 2000, bilateral trade had reached US$524 million (HK$4 billion), rising to US$618 million in 2001, according to Cuban government figures.

China is Cuba's third most important trading partner after Venezuela - which provides the island with cheap oil - and Spain, whose hotel chains are deeply invested in the tourism industry.

The trade balance, however, clearly favours China. According to official Cuban government figures, in 2001 Cuba exported US$70 million worth of goods to China, while it imported goods worth US$547 million.

During Mr Jiang's trip to Havana that year, China gave the government loans worth US$400 million to upgrade Cuba's communications infrastructure and buy Chinese-made television sets, mostly for schools.

Both countries also operate more than a dozen joint ventures, ranging from biotechnology firms to companies that build water pumps.

Chinese military delegations have visited Cuba in past years, though both countries firmly deny there are any weapons sales involved.