bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

CUBAN leader Dr Fidel Castro arrived in Shenzhen yesterday for a tour of the city which has become a showpiece of the mainland's shift towards capitalism.

Dr Castro was cheered as he strolled into the foyer of a Shenzhen hotel amid tight security.

Police were stationed on many floors of the hotel and in the lobby.

 Dr Castro's motorcade was also protected by police outriders.

Two dozen hotel staff wearing traditional red silk cheongsam dresses waved flags and held bouquets as they welcomed the Cuban President.

Dr Castro raised his right hand in acknowledgement of the warm reception.

Shenzhen newspapers carried a brief biography of Dr Castro's revolutionary background on their front page. The Chinese media said Dr Castro hoped to experience new things during his trip to China and therefore had decided to visit Shenzhen.

Journalists said President Jiang Zemin was accompanying Dr Castro on his tour of the special economic zone. The local Government would not confirm these reports.

Citing security reasons, the journalists were not told of Dr Castro's itinerary.

It is not clear if Mr Jiang, who visited the region many years ago but has not been south in recent years, would stay in Shenzhen after Dr Castro's visit.

 Dr Castro and his delegation are expected to spend two days in Shenzhen meeting local leaders, touring a bicycle factory and an electronics factory.

He is also expected to visit a park where China's famous sights are on display in miniatures.

Yesterday, staff at the park, Splendid China, confirmed that the Cuban President was due to visit but declined to comment further, citing orders from their supervisors prohibiting them from speaking to members of the press.

Security was tight in Shenzhen yesterday with police patrolling all major road junctions.

Dr Castro, who is in China for a 10-day tour, visited Shanghai before his Shenzhen stopover.

 In Shanghai, he was taken on a tour of the Oriental Pearl television tower, Jinqiao Export Processing Zone in the Pudong New Area development zone, Yuyuan Mandarin Garden, the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Baoshan Iron and Steel group.

 The Shanghai press quoted him as praising the stock exchange and expressing interest in trading procedures.

 Throughout his visit to Shanghai, he was accompanied by Vice-Mayor Sha Lin and the Shanghai Party Secretary Huang Ju because Mayor Xu Kuangdi was in hospital.

 Dr Castro will leave for Guangzhou after Shenzhen, before he flies to Vietnam for a five-day tour on Friday.

 He is due to visit Japan next week.



Castro in visit to Shenzhen