Chinese envoy bids farewell to RPF Secretary General

The outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda, Shu Zhan, yesterday paid a courtesy call on the Secretary General of Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) François Ngarambe to bid him farewell after three years representing his country.Chinese ruling Communist Party and RPF have enjoyed close relations for years and under the RPF-led government, the Chinese have multiplied their projects in Rwanda.Shu said during his tenure, there were new projects like the construction of a vocational school in the Northern Province, the Masaka hospital and the road to the hospital which were sponsored by the Chinese.“I find it more important to put more attention to the existing projects and possibly expand them like the Ngoma hospital,” Shu said.“China has been in Rwanda for 42 years and out of the 41 cooperation projects, 31 were initiated after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which implies that we have good relations with this government.”The RPF Secretary General also hailed the relations between his Party and the Chinese Communist Party as well as the Chinese involvement in Rwanda’s path to development.“We appreciate the role you played in strengthening the relations between the two political parties. We also appreciate your stay in Rwanda and we are optimistic your successor will carry on the good work you have been doing here,” said Ngarambe.China and Rwanda relations date as way back as 1971. However, the Chinese relations with Rwanda started being visible in 1980. Since then, the Chinese government has now built two district hospitals including the Masaka hospital, which was completed in 2011.On average, during 30 years, medical personnel from China have treated 470,000 patients in Rwanda.Also, during the academic year 2011-2012, 35 Rwandan students were admitted to study in China. These followed in the footsteps of other Rwandan students who went to China in previous years.Two schools were built in the Sino-African Cooperation programme, one in Gatsibo, Eastern Province with 300 students, and another in Rulindo, Northern Province, for girls.In the agriculture sector, each year about a hundred Rwandans are invited to visit China and gain a technology-based agricultural experience, especially in the rice and mushroom culture.The Chinese have since 1994 expanded their activities in Rwanda ranging from technology education agriculture and health among others.

National

Chinese envoy bids farewell to RPF Secretary General