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Members of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC) have decided at this month’s general meeting that they will not undertake any further visits to China during the current council mandate.
In January, FODC was among a number of local councils across Northern Ireland invited to visit China at the end of April. FODC delegations previously travelled to China in 2018, while a smaller delegation of two councillors and one council official visited the country last October.
Last month, members agreed to defer consideration of the invitation and to request further details from the Chinese Consulate in Belfast about the proposed itinerary.
At February’s general meeting, councillors unanimously agreed not to accept the invitation, opting instead to build on the already positive relationship between FODC and local government bodies in China. The Chinese Consulate said it was unable to provide any additional information at this time regarding the proposed trip.
Speaking at the meeting, Debbie Coyle said she and her party group believed it would not be appropriate to agree to the visit, citing the limited time available to plan the trip. She suggested asking the consulate whether a visit at a later date, perhaps during the next council mandate, would be more suitable.
Chairman Barry McElduff, who led the last visit to China alongside DUP councillor and Vice Chair Shirley Hawkes and the council’s Chief Executive, said he agreed that it was not appropriate to travel at this time. However, he emphasised the importance of continuing to build on the strong relationship between the council and local governments in China, particularly with Huangshi in Hubei, with which FODC has a Friendly City agreement.
This was supported by all parties, with Mark Ovens of the Ulster Unionist Party stating that he and his party had consistently opposed the trip and that he welcomed the decision reached by other parties.
Representatives from the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and the Alliance Party groupings also expressed reluctance to support another visit to China so soon after the previous one, with both Cllr Adam Gannon and Cllr Stephen Donnelly highlighting moral concerns about travelling to the country due to the Chinese government’s human rights record.
The decision was carried unanimously, without a formal vote.
