China's commercial development office in Haiti resumes operations

BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- As the security situation in Haiti has gradually improved, staff from the Office of Commercial Development of China in Haiti have returned to work in the capital, Port-au-Prince, with the assistance of the Haitian authorities, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks during a press briefing in response to a query on the relevant situation.

Lin said that although China and Haiti have not yet established diplomatic relations, the trade development offices in each other's capitals serve as an important channel for communication and exchange between the two sides.

At the beginning of this year, due to the worsening security situation in Haiti, many countries temporarily closed their diplomatic and trade missions in Haiti and evacuated their nationals, Lin said.

He added that after assisting in the safe evacuation of Chinese citizens in Haiti, the commercial development office temporarily relocated to Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, in April this year.