Breaking:”Global Strategic Partnership” between Mozambique and China

Breaking:”Global Strategic Partnership” between Mozambique and China

4:19 CAT | 18 May 2016

AFP (File photo) / Chinese deputy foreign minister Zhang Ming made the announcement

Mozambique and China have agreed to build a “global strategic cooperation partnership”, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Ming told reporters on Wednesday, after talks in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People between delegations led by the Presidents of the two countries, Filipe Nyusi and Xi Jinping.

Such a partnership, he added, would “include cooperation in all areas – political, security, economic, commercial, cultural etc”. The two sides had agreed “to strengthen political cooperation in areas of vital importance”.

“Mozambique is a country with an enormously long coastline”, said the Deputy Minister, “and China would like to strengthen cooperation in the maritime economy”.

Zhang said the two delegations had agreed in principle “to strengthen cooperation in security and pubic order”, and to “help Mozambique boost its defence capacity”. Zhang gave no further details of this area.

The talks followed full military honours due to a visiting head of state. In the courtyard of the Great Hall of the People, in front of Tiananmen Square, Nyusi was given a 21 gun salute and reviewed a guard of honour from the three branches of the Chinese armed forces.

After the talks, Nyusi and Xi witnessed the signing by ministers of five agreements. One was aimed at developing productive capacity in Mozambique. Zhang said this was intended to encourage more Chinese companies to invest in Mozambique. Key areas for such investment would include manufacturing, agriculture and infrastructures.

A second agreement seeks to set up special economic zones. Zhang noted that Nyusi has already visited one Chinese province, Jiangsu, noted for the development of high technology industries, and will visit a second, Shandong, later in the week. He had expressed an interest in these poles of development and in their professional and technical training institutions.

The other three agreements concern the building of a Chinese-Mozambican Cultural Centre in Maputo, cooperation between Mozambique’s National Hydrocarbon Company (ENH) and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), and a donation of grain to Mozambique.

No details were given of how much grain China is donating or when it can be expected to arrive. Mozambique is in need of food aid because of the damage done to this year’s harvest by severe drought in the south and centre of the country.

Asked about Mozambique’s current economic problems, Zhang said “Mozambique and China are good friends and this is shown both in good and in difficult moments”.

Among the assistance China could offer, he added, was “encouragement to Chinese companies to invest in Mozambique, and provide technology and equipment and financial cooperation”.

Such cooperation was a matter of “mutual benefit”, said Zhang. “Helping Mozambique is helping ourselves”.

But when a journalist from Radio Mozambique asked how much money the agreements signed would involve, Zhang refused to answer and abruptly ended the press conference.

No member of the Mozambican delegation spoke at the press conference.

Source: AIM