A delegation from the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) yesterday kicked off a three-day visit in the country to exchange ideas with their counterparts in Rwanda’s RPF-Inkotanyi, a trip that aims to build capacities for members of both parties and deepen relations.

Led by Xia Shujun, the deputy director-general in charge of the CPC’s affairs in its Beijing committee, the four-person delegation will spend three days in Rwanda exchanging ideas with their RPF counterparts on matters of governance.

They will specifically look at how to fight corruption, nurture party cadres, promote foreign trade, and build industrial parks.

CPC and RPF have cultivated good relations and party teams regularly visit each other to share experiences.

Welcoming the team from Beijing at RPF Headquarters in Rusororo yesterday, RPF Secretary-General François Ngarambe said it is important for both ruling parties to share lessons because citizens expect a lot from their experiences in governance.

"Ruling parties are accountable for so many things. Supporters and partners always expect results and everyone is happy when everything goes well. But when things are bad it’s the ruling party that takes the blame. That’s why the party needs to constantly ensure the development of its cadres to achieve good results,” he said.

Xia congratulated the RPF for President Paul Kagame’s recent re-election, explaining that it shows citizens’ support to his party and a reason to believe that the country’s Vision 2020 will be achieved.

He added that his CPC will strive to strengthen its cooperation and good relations with the RPF in order to achieve the mutual interests between Rwanda and China as outlined by both countries’ heads of state at their meeting in China in March 2017.

"We have witnessed some practical results from our cooperation in many areas and I am sure that, guided by our both leaderships, we will strengthen our bilateral ties,” Xia said.

In March, President Kagame paid a two-day visit to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during which the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas of industrialisation, agricultural modernisation, infrastructure building, tourism, and security.

During the visit, Kagame acknowledged the role of China in supporting Rwanda’s development agenda, specifically praising China’s contribution in developing the country’s infrastructure projects.

China’s greatest support to Rwanda’s development process is in the form of concessional loans, grant aid, technical support in major infrastructure projects as well as students’ scholarships in critical sectors such as health, education and technology.

China is also one of Rwanda’s biggest sources of foreign direct investments, mainly in the manufacturing and real estate sectors.

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