美国愿向中国出租北马里亚纳群岛（塞班）土地。 (图)

2011-10-22 (China Military News cited from AFP) -- The cash-strapped Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Western Pacific, has offered to lease land to China as long as it is not used for military purposes.

Northern Marianas Governor Benigno Fitial made the offer during a US-China Governors Forum in Beijing this week which discussed potential investment and job creation opportunities.

In a statement released Saturday, Fitial said his island-lease offer referred to land in uninhabited islands which can be leased except for military purposes.

The Northern Marianas already leases an island to the US military which uses it for regular live bombing exercises.

A self-governing commonwealth of the United States since 1976, the islands are in the grip of a severe budget crisis following the collapse of their garment industry.

In an attempt to combat the cash shortage all government departments are now shut every Friday, with essential exceptions such as the public hospital.

A spokesman for Fitial, Angel Demapan, said the governor wanted to do business with the Chinese to alleviate economic hardship.

Fitial pitched the Northern Marianas as a prime destination for Chinese tourism, real estate development, agricultural, education and technology investments.

In his statement, Fitial said the acting governor of the Chinese province of Yunnan, Li Jiheng, planned to make an exploratory visit to the islands, while Anhui Governor Wang Sanyun said he was committed to a partnership.

The Northern Marianas consists of 15 islands, with more than 90 percent of the population of 54,000 living on Saipan and only four other islands being populated.

Related Posts (Comment Number)
Defense industry: Lesson learned from China (0)
War with China? (8)
China is walking on right development path (0)
China Fears Are Misplaced (0)
The United States and China: A G-2 in the Making? (1)
China\'s military buildup - How far along is it? (6)

10月20日，国家旅游局副局长祝善忠在京会见了北马里亚纳群岛（塞班）总督本尼格诺 费迪诺和关岛总督艾迪 卡尔沃一行。双方就旅游合作、交通及签证等共同关心的问题进行了深入友好的交谈。

祝善忠说，美国是中国重要的客源市场，预计到2015年，中美两国双向交流人数将达500万人次。祝善忠说，过去三十年中国经济发展迅速，人民生活日益改善。去年，中国公民出国访问人数达5740万人次，中国成为第三大出境旅游消费国。

祝善忠对塞班和关岛在旅游安全和签证等方面所做的工作表示赞赏。中国和北马里亚纳群岛（塞班）、关岛距离较近，如果签证与交通便利程度得到改善，将极大激发中国游客前往旅游的热情。

费迪诺与卡尔沃均表示将更加注重中国市场，提升针对中国游客的旅游设施建设和服务水平，推动美国政府在签证方面作出努力，让更多的中国游客前往旅游。