Rao Hongwei, a Chinese diplomat who has served as the ambassador of his country to Rwanda since 2017 leaves next month, having come to the end of his tenure.

During his service in Rwanda, Rao witnessed a number of key developments, including President Xi Jin Ping’s historic visit to Rwanda, as well as some unfortunate events like the Covid-19 outbreak.

The New Times had an interview with him about this and more.

Here are the excerpts:

Excerpts:

You started your term as ambassador of China to Rwanda in 2017. What memories are you carrying with you back to China?

I arrived in Kigali in Feb. 2017. During my stay here, I visited all the four provinces and at least 15 districts. I enjoyed the beautiful scenes of Rwanda. The tranquil water of Lake Kivu, the vast grasslands of Akagera, the lush rain forests of Virunga, are all parts of my vivid memory. The beautiful skyline of Kigali, the flowing traffic, the bustling markets, as well as the splendid parade on the day of Kwibohora 25, impress me so much and show how thriving and promising this land is.

I enjoyed the hospitality of Rwandan people from all walks of life which manifests the strong and profound friendship between our two countries. During my close interaction with them, I deeply felt their resilience, courage, and spirit of diligence and self-reliance. I also had the chance to join Umuganda, and learned from Rwanda’s wisdom of home-grown solutions.

Rwanda is my second hometown, and I will cherish the memories here.

Your term was characterized by key events between Rwanda and China, for example, the historic visit of President Xi Jinping to Rwanda in 2018. How remarkable were such events for the two countries’ relations?

The historic visit of H.E. President Xi Jinping to Rwanda in July 2018 was the first ever visit by a Chinese head of state to Rwanda. The visit helped our two countries further deepen mutual political trust, strengthen practical cooperation including cooperation under the umbrella of the Belt and Road Initiative, and usher the bilateral relationship into a new era.

Fifteen agreements signed during the visit are now being translated into projects and outcomes.

Our cooperation in areas including trade, e-commerce investment, culture, health, education and training are greatly promoted. The expansion project of the road from Gahanga to Bugesera is effectively reducing road congestion.

Rwandan agricultural products including coffee, tea, dried chili and stevia accessed the Chinese market. More and more Chinese enterprises are in Rwanda to invest in high value-added manufacturing industry like electric motorcycles, bamboo production, ICT and others.

Equally importantly, after President Xi’s visit in 2018, the people-to-people exchanges between our two countries have been enormously enhanced. I am sure that will lay a solid foundation for our friendship.

Last year, China and Rwanda celebrated 50 years of diplomatic ties. What’s your take on how far both countries’ relations have come?

Thanks to the stewardship of leaders of our two countries, China and Rwanda have fostered multidimensional and full-fledged relations, which are at their best in history.

Let me give a few examples. China is Rwanda’s largest trading partner with a bilateral trade volume of over US$300 million in 2021. China is Rwanda’s biggest project contractor which built a great number of key projects on energy, infrastructure, livelihood and manufacturing, and up to 70% of Rwanda’s national asphalt road construction were undertaken by Chinese companies. China is also bringing investment to Rwanda, with a stock amount of direct investment of US $334 million as of the end of last year.

As I wrote in an opinion piece last November, our brotherhood roots from our culture and commonalities, builds on empathy and grows in trust. With strong political will from the leaders and wide support of the two peoples, the two countries will further deepen practical cooperation, strengthen the collaboration and synergy between national development strategies, so as to better benefit the two peoples and compose a new chapter of friendship that goes beyond thousands of hills and rivers.

Covid-19 hit the world in 2020 and we are still grappling with it. China has co-operated with Rwanda in the fight against the pandemic. Tell us more about China’s support in this regard.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, our two countries stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against the adversity, and further elevate the friendship between our two peoples.

China has donated to Rwanda 500,000 doses of vaccines and five batches of medical supplies including PPEs, testing kits for COVID-19 and other medical equipment. In 2021, the Chinese government provided a grant worth US$ 60 million, and wrote off US$ 6 million debt to Rwanda, with a view to helping Rwanda’s economy to recover from the pandemic. With the aid from China, the renovation and expansion project of Masaka Hospital will officially commence this year. Masaka Hospital will become one of the best hospitals in Rwanda once completed.

At the 8th ministerial conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation last November, H.E. President Xi Jinping put forward 4 proposals and 9 programs for China-Africa cooperation in the following three years. We need to grasp this opportunity to achieve as much as possible to recover from the pandemic and benefit the two peoples.   

How do you rate the way Rwandans have coped with the challenges posed by the pandemic?

Under the strong leadership of H.E. President Paul Kagame, Rwanda won a great battle against the pandemic. I witnessed the determined efforts of lockdown, the comprehensive measures to acquire vaccines and inoculate citizens, and the dynamic approach of balancing pandemic control and economic recovery.

Rwanda is one of the few African countries that have met WTO’s goal of vaccination. The fact demonstrates how effective the Rwandan government is and how supportive the Rwandan people are. Let me congratulate the great country of Rwanda and the heroic Rwandan people on the success.

Covid-19 has posed challenges to projects in which Rwanda and China are cooperating, for example academic scholarships. What is being done to sort these challenges out?

We have to admit that the shocks of Covid-19 impacted the cooperation between our two countries. However, with the concerted efforts of the two sides, we managed to overcome the difficulties and advance our cooperation in many projects.

Last year saw the handover of the Extension Project of IPRC Musanze, the completion of the preliminary survey work for the Expansion and Upgrading Project of road from Prince House to Masaka, the signing of the concessional loan framework agreement for Smart Education Project, and the signing of the DTAA and its affiliated protocol.

There were 23 training programs held via online platforms, and over six hundred Rwandans participated in these sessions last year. Online pavilions set up by Chinese exhibitions, also enabled exhibitors and buyers from Rwanda to participate in the China International Import Expo, Canton Fair and China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. In the near future, the 200-Borehole-Well Project will be completed soon. China is also working with Rwanda to grant duty-free treatment to 98 percent of Rwandan-origin goods exported to China.

There has been an outcry of the Chinese debt trap in Africa. What is your comment on this?

Among China's partners, no single country is beset with a debt crisis because of its cooperation with China.

Take Rwanda as an example, since 1971, China has provided a big amount of financing including interest-free loans, concessional loans, and other forms to Rwanda. The money has gone to all aspects of Rwanda's social development, from infrastructure construction such as roads, bridges, hospitals and schools, to cooperation in agricultural technology and e-commerce. China has provided Rwanda with a US$ 214 million concessional loan for the Nyabarongo II Hydropower Project which will generate a large amount of electricity, provide many jobs, and transform the downstream swamps into 20,000 hectares of arable land. One can easily tell if China is making contribution to Rwanda’s development or damaging it with "trap”.

H.E. President Paul Kagame once dismissed the so-called "debt trap” and said that China has never forced any country to borrow from them to accumulate debt, while China's financial support has opened up new pathways for cooperation.

China’s lending to African countries is not a "debt trap”, but an "economic pie” that benefits the local population. Behind the "debt trap” cliché is an immoral attempt to sabotage the time-tested dynamic partnership between China and Africa, deny China’s global efforts and contribution, and smear the international image of China.

What is your message to the Rwandan people as you leave? 

Rwanda is my second hometown. I begin to miss this beautiful country even before I leave. In the past five years, I was very happy to witness the rapid development of Rwanda. I wish Rwanda success and prosperity under the leadership of H.E. President Paul Kagame and the Rwandan Patriotic Front, and wish the Rwandan people health and happiness! I hope the friendship that is higher than mountains between China and Rwanda will further grow in the years to come.