ESM Goh to attend InterAction Council meeting in China

SINGAPORE: Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong will visit Beijing and Tianjin in China from May 9 to 12 to attend the 30th Annual Plenary Meeting of the InterAction Council (IAC).

The IAC is an independent international organisation that counts more than 30 former heads of state and heads of government as its members. It meets periodically to develop recommendations on how to overcome some of the world’s foremost political, economic and social challenges.

In Beijing, ESM Goh and a select group of IAC members will jointly call on Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on May 9. He will also have a bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Tianjin on the same day.

Mr Goh will deliver the keynote address on "The Present State of the World" at the opening plenary session of the IAC on May 10.

Issues that will be discussed include the global financial crisis, global security imperatives and the global water crisis.

Mr Goh will be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

—CNA/ac