IOM to help Chinese government better handle migration issues

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) will help the Chinese government better handle migration issues by training and capability building, said visiting Director-general Brunson Mckinley here Tuesday.

Mckinley told Xinhua that the IOM will not sell ideas or programs to the Chinese government, but listen to it on the problems and help it solve them in many ways, such as training officials.

The IOM held a ceremony on Monday to mark the inauguration of its liaison office in China.

The office will keep close contacts with all parts of the Chinese government and the Chinese society, Mckinley said.

During his five-day visit to China, Mckinley held talks both at ministerial and senior working levels with officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

He said the talks were "good, open, friendly and informative", involving many details and show good prospect for future cooperation.

China is an important player in migration, and China has begun realizing that it should be better prepared for coping with the migration issues, Mckinley said, adding the IOM will do all it can to help the Chinese government in this regard.

Mckinley also visited the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences during his stay in Beijing.

Before his China tour, the director-general visited Japan, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea, where he also exchanged views with local officials on migration issues.

The Geneva-based IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental partners.

IOM established contacts with China a decade ago, and China has been an observer state of the organization since 2001.

Source: Xinhua