Rwanda, China look to deepen ties

The Government and the People’s Republic of China are looking to further deepen bilateral ties. This follows a special visit to China by a Rwandan delegation led by Foreign Affairs minister, Louise Mushikiwabo on Wednesday, at the invitation of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister, Wang Yi. In Beijing, Mushikiwabo and her Chinese counterpart discussed bilateral cooperation issues. “They resolved to pursue efforts to deepen bilateral relations through projects in the sectors of cultural exchanges, tourism, human resource development, health services, and, most importantly, industrial cooperation extended within the East Africa regional context,” according to the statement. The statement, the two countries also agreed to scale up the frequency of bilateral political consultations, it added. The Minister for Infrastructure, James Musoni, who was part of the Rwandan delegation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with Song Dongsheng, the Chairperson of SINOHYDRO, a Chinese industry leader in engineering and construction to establish a framework of cooperation to implement the hydro power station projects of Nyabugogo II and Mutobo Project station in Rwanda. SINOHYDRO is a state-owned hydro power project contractor considered to be the driving force behind China’s industrial development, and playing a leading role in enterprise technical innovations, management system reforms and international business development. The Chinese government has for a long time supported Rwanda in various sectors, including agriculture, health and construction sectors, among others. The Rwanda delegation is expected to wind up the tour on Saturday. In 2013, the bilateral trade value between China and Rwanda reached $243,000,000, composed of $134,000,000 in exports from China and $109,000,000 in export from Rwanda. As a measure to help Rwanda increase its exports to China, it’s extended duty-free treatment to 95% of Rwandan products in the Chinese market. China also facilitates the participation of Rwandan companies in various Chinese Import and Export Fairs, so that they can directly promote their products. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Rwanda, China look to deepen ties