From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Tue Jun 23 2009 - 21:48:52 EDT
China expects to strengthen mutual-benefit co-op with Eritrea
GOV.cn May 4, 2009 n Monday, May 4, 2009
China expects to strengthen mutual benefit cooperation with Eritrea in
various sectors, including bilateral trade, agriculture, health, culture
and education fields, Shu Zhan, Chinese ambassador to Eritrea said in
Asmara on Sunday.
Shu made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua ahead of the upcoming
16th anniversary of the founding of the State of Eritrea, with which
China established relations on the exact day when Eritrea formally
announced independence on May 24, 1993.
"China and Eritrea has developed truly friendship since a long time ago.
There are many exchanges of visits by top officials from both sides in
recent years, with the bilateral ties deepened steadily," the Chinese
envoy said.
He further elaborated on some projects which Chinese companies undertook
in the Eastern African country with the aid from the Chinese government,
including a hospital, a human and social science institute, as well as
two rural primary schools.
Bilateral trade cooperation has been strengthened, with trade volume
reaching 31 million U.S. dollars in 2008, a 7.6 percent year-on-year
increase, according to the statistics from the Chinese Ministry of
Commerce.
Shu also mentioned that bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector
has been constantly deepened as the Eritrean agricultural minister and
provincial governors made visits to China to learn experience and
technology to develop agriculture in Eritrea.
The two sides also reached intention of cooperation in the fields of
introducing seeds, irrigation technology and human training methods from
China, the Chinese top diplomat added.
He also noted that the bilateral cooperation and exchanges in the fields
of health, culture and education has developed smoothly, as Eritrea
began to send college youth tutors to China for master's degrees in
2008, and China last year assigned computer and Chinese language
teachers, as well as agriculture and sports volunteers, to work in
Eritrea.
On the economic developments of Eritrea in the past 16 years, Shu said
the small eastern African country, under the leadership of President
Isaias Afwerki, are exerting efforts to maintain political stability and
improve the people's life in the meantime, as well as develop the
telecommunication infrastructure.
More dams and hospitals have been established in Eritrea, and the
anti-malaria and the maternal and infant death rate reducing efforts
have achieved a lot to meet the United Nations Millennium Development
Goals, the Chinese envoy added.
As the current global financial crisis is impacting Eritrea's economy,
especially its reduced foreign remittance, Shu emphasized that Chinese
leaders have clearly pledged that China will continue to increase aid to
Africa, reduce or cancel African countries' debts, expand its trade and
increase investment in Africa, despite the impact of the global
financial crisis on China.
He added that the follow-up measures of the Beijing Summit of the Forum
on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006 has been implemented well in
Eritrea.
Eritrea, which currently has the population of about 5 million, formally
announced its independence from Ethiopia in 1993.
Editor: Mo Hong'e
Source: Xinhua
http://www.gov.cn/misc/2009-05/04/content_1303425.htm
<http://english.people.com.cn/200502/18/images/0217_D61s.jpg>
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