Chinese community mark National Day

The Minister of Infrastructure, Albert Nsengiyumva, hailed the government of China for fostering unconditional friendship and for being a dependable development partner with African countries.In his address during celebrations to mark the 63rd National Day of the People’s Republic of China on Wednesday, Nsengiyumva said that Rwanda values its relationship with the Chinese because it has a similar vision for development and has been founded on mutual respect for more than four decades.“China’s readiness to stay away from insistence on the concept of conditionality underlines its understanding of Rwanda’s need to own its economic development strategy, and this explains why China’s relationship with Africa has been close and successful,” Nsengiyumva said.“Trade relations have significantly progressed over the last few years following China’s allocation of quota and tariff free rights to African countries. On top of that, Chinese companies have invested in diverse areas such as tourism, ICT, construction, mining and manufacturing. This relationship is what African countries need for economic development.”He also highlighted the creation of China-Africa Co-operation Forum (FOCAC) in 2000, as a platform for dialogue and practical cooperation between Africa and China.“There is need to strengthen FOCAC because it has demonstrated its importance in deepening the links between China and Africa. The factors that contribute largely to the consolidation of our bonds are the frequent exchange of visits by high level officials and the successful signing of significant bilateral agreements,” he added.In his remarks, the Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda, Shu Zhan, said that the development of China depends on the growth of other economies, particularly those of Africa, Asia and Latin America, a situation that makes the cooperation inevitable.“China is still a developing country and the rapid growth of African countries in recent years is partly correlated with the development of China as well. China being responsible and cooperative joins other nations in meeting global challenges,” Zhan said.“In the past five years of the world economic crisis, China has not only started many new factories, created jobs and education opportunities in Africa, but has also contributed more than 20 percent to the revival of the world economy.”Trade volume between China and Africa expanded significantly from US$10 billion in 2000 to US$166 billion in 2011.