Yang also paid a call to Speaker of the House Assembly Roett and held talks with the Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Laurie. In July 1998, at the invitation of the Barbados government, Vice Premier Qian Qichen paid an official visit to Barbados. It is the highest level visit by China to Barbados since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Vice Premier Qian also met Governor-General Husbands, President of Senate Gollop, and accepted an interview of the Barbados TV Station. Vice Premier Qian stressed that China attaches great importance to its relations with all the countries including Barbados in the Caribbean.
China always holds that all countries, big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, are equal.
Vice Premier Qian expressed thanks to the Barbados government for its consistent adherence of one China policy over the years, believing that through the joint efforts, the friendly relations and cooperation between China and Barbados and other Caribbean countries would come to a new level. Prime Minister Arthur said Barbados attaches great importance to its relations with China and expressed his satisfaction on the bilateral cooperation in the political, economic and other fields, hoping that such cooperation would be carried out in a more effective way and that the relations between China and the Caribbean countries would be further strengthened in the future. In August 1999, the Chinese Delegation of the State Administration of Taxation visited Barbados. The Chinese Delegation and its counterpart held technical talks on the Draft Agreement between the Government of PRC and the Government of Barbados for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Tax and Income. The two sides initiated the draft agreement.