(Jamaica Gleaner) – The financial crisis facing the Government has caused Prime Minister Bruce Golding to cut his foreign trips to a bare minimum.

Golding on Sunday announced more than five official overseas trips which he has cancelled or delayed.

“I took a decision a couple of months ago that I was cancelling all my overseas travel for the second half of this year with one exception and that is the Commonwealth heads of government meeting which is to be held in Trinidad,” Golding announced..

The prime minister noted that he was due to pay an official visit to Canada which has been cancelled. A planned official visit to the Dominican Republic has also been cancelled.

In addition, Golding has told the Chinese government that he will be unable to accept an offer to pay an official visit to that country this year.

“I was due to go to the Far East, to Kuwait and to Dubai, because we are working on some significant investment possibilities coming out of there. We are in touch, we are talking and sending information, but I told them that it can’t be on for this year.”

Golding has also missed a meeting at the United Nations where he was scheduled to present Jamaica’s policy paper on Saturday.