Above: Bahamian FM Frederick Mitchell

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Bahamas is looking forward to continue working with China in an “atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation,” according to Foreign Minister Frederick Mitchell.

Mitchell was responding to the appointment of Xi Jimping as the country’s new president, along with the election of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China last week.

Following the meeting, Xi succeeds Hu Jintao as the new General Secretary of the Communist Party.

The meeting was one of “great significance and far-reaching impact,” according to Hu Shan, China’s Ambassador to the Bahamas.

The Bahamas and China have been collaborating on a number of projects of late, most recently the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium and the multi-billion-dollar Baha Mar project.

The latter is the largest-ever resort project in the Caribbean.

The two countries formed diplomatic ties on May 23, 1997.