Jamaica, one of the Caribbean nations, opened its embassy in Beijing Monday.

Jamaican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade K.D.Knight, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, and ambassadors from some other Caribbean nations were present at the opening ceremony.

In his address to the opening ceremony, Knight said that since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1972, China and Jamaica have increased their friendly relations steadily and kept good coordination in economic and cultural fields. Jamaica is firmly committed to the one-China policy. He expressed the hope to further enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, mining and tourism.

Yang extended his congratulations to the establishment of the embassy, which signified a major move to promote Sino-Jamaican relations and cooperation to a new level. He said China and Jamaica have achieved a sound development in bilateral relations, with frequent high-level exchanges. The establishment of the Jamaican embassy will further promote the bilateral cooperation in such fields as trade and tourism, Yang said.

Jamaica is located in the northwest of the Caribbean Sea. In February this year, Jamaica and China announced "a friendly partnership of common development". Jamaica is the destination of Chinese out band tourists.

(Xinhua News Agency July 19, 2005)