November 20, 2009… Carlos Browne, Housing Consultant in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing & the Environment is reporting that the seminar being held in China on Coordinated Development of Urban and Rural Areas for Developing Countries., between November 20th and December 11 is off the ground.

Browne said Antigua & Barbuda will use the opportunity as a fact finding mission as the government seek ways to better satisfy the housing demand of the people of Antigua and Barbuda.

Browne, and Wilbert Burke, Inspector at the Development Control Authority DCA) are in China for the seminar.

The housing consultant related that Zhu Luigui, Director of the Ministry of Commerce, Beijing declared the seminar opened, which was followed by a welcome reception.

He said approximately 58 delegates from 31 countries spanning four continents are gathering in China. Browne said, the expectations of the Antigua and Barbuda’s delegation are high as the first lecture session opens this, Sunday.

“The morning session will cover a general review of china and the speaker will be a technical consultant from the ministry of commerce,” Browne reports. He further outlined that, “the afternoon session will cover chinas reform, opening up an economic development and the speaker will be the commissioner for national development and reform.”

The seminar organized by the Training Center of the Ministry of Commerce, includes two parts: presentations and field trips.

These are presentations where Chinese experts, scholars and government officials will brief on China’s reform and opening –up policies, China’s urbanization process and coordinated development between rural and urban areas, reform and development of agriculture in China, the project of rural retailing development, Urban and rural tax systems, township enterprises of China and poverty alleviation in China.

The participants of the seminar will make field trips to cities and provinces such as Shanghai and Shan’ xi Province, where they will meet with local government officials and visit enterprises in an effort to get a first hand view of the development and condition of China’s economy.