Yuan Jiajun, the Governor of China’s Zhejiang Province, is expected to visit Rwanda early next month along with other business delegates, China’s Ambassador to Rwanda, Rao Hongwei, said Tuesday.

Yuan, best known for his role as chief of the Shenzhou programme, which carried the first Chinese man into space, is also the Deputy Communist Party Secretary of Zhejiang Province.

He is expected to visit Rwanda on September 6. His visit follows that of China’s President, Xi Jinping, in July last year.

"It is part of our customs for leaders to follow footsteps of our President. Yuan Jiajun will be in Rwanda with a delegation of entrepreneurs from Zhejiang Province and they will be looking to explore possible opportunities,” the Ambassador told The New Times.

Hongwei added that a more than 20-person delegation would be in the country with keen interest to explore ‘business’ collaborations and other areas the Province could partner with Rwanda to drive relations.

Zhejiang Jiajun which he heads is an East Coast Province with a population of more than 57 million people and a GDP of 5619.7 billion yuan, according to statistics from the Provincial Government’s website.

Zhejiang’s economy is dominated by electromechanical industries, textiles, chemical industries, food, and construction materials.

Its capital, Hangzhou, is home to Alibaba Group – an e-commerce giant founded by Chinese business magnate Jack Ma.

The delegation, Hongwei said, is also expected to be comprised of a team from Alibaba Group.

Alibaba already has close ties with Rwanda. It’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Jack Ma, has visited Rwanda on two occasions, one of which saw the launch of the World Electronic Platform to facilitate trade in Rwanda and Africa.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com