CPAFFC Delegation Led by Vice President Wang Yunze Visits Senegal, Cape Verde an

At the invitation of Mario Matos, vice president of the NationalAssembly of Cape Verde；Adama Gaye, director general of the African Newforce Company of Senegal；and Zephirin Diabre, honorary president of the Sino-Burkinabe Friendship Forum, CPAFFC Vice President Wang Yunze led a delegation to visit the three countries in mid September 2006. Jose Maria Pereira Neves, prime minister of Cape Verde, Aristides Raimundo Lima and Mario Matos, president and vice president of the National Assembly of Cape Verde; Madicke Niang, minister of energy and mines of Senegal, Ibou Ndiaye, vice president of the Economic and Social Council of Senegal; and Moro Naaba Baongo, the 37th emperor of the Mosses of Burkina Faso met with the delegation.

In his meeting with the CPAFFC delegation, Prime Minister Neves said, Cape Verde is a country that has potentials of development and occupies an important strategic location. Lying at the westernmost end of the African continent, it can become the platform and the door for Chinese commodities to enter Western African market. He hoped that Cape Verde would further expand cooperation with China in the fields of education and arts. When meeting the delegation, President Lima of the Cape Verde National Assembly said, China is a great country with a long history and also a young country full of vigour and vitality in economy, society and culture. China’s advancement is irresistible. It is an example that Cape Verde can learn from. Mario Matos, vice president of the Cape Verde National Assembly, accompanied the delegation throughout the visit. He gave the delegation a detailed briefing about Cape Verde’s economic development in recent years. He said, the main task that Cape Verde is now facing is to reduce unemployment and eradicate poverty. Tourism is one of the pillar industries and plays a decisive role in the country’s economic development. He hoped that Cape Verde would be given the Approved Destination Status for Chinese tourists, and an Institute of Confucius would be set up in the country. Prime Minister Neves expressed his hope that Cape Verde could introduce modern agricultural technology of trickle irrigation from China, for shortage of water has already seriously affected his country’s agricultural development. He said, China is Cape Verde’s sincere friend, and 30 years’ friendly cooperation between the two countries has scored great achievements. He believed that Cape Verde-China relations would have a greater development in the future 30 years.

In order to enhance Senegalese people’s understanding of China, after Senegal resumed its diplomatic relations with China in October 2005, the CPAFFC sent its first delegation to Senegal in September 2006. When meeting the delegation, Madicke Niang, minister of energy, said, the Senegalese people have a deep affection for the Chinese people and dearly cherish the friendship built between the two countries at the Mao Zedong times. Since the two countries resumed diplomatic relations, President Abdoulaye Wade attached great importance to the country’s relations with China and urged the Senegalese government officials to learn development experience and advanced technologies from China and establish good cooperation relations with China’s state-owned and private enterprises. Minister Madicke Niang warmly invited the specialists of the China Petrochemical Corporation in the delegation to come to Senegal again to make inspection. He said, the Senegalese Government would give them support and guarantee in every aspect.

Burkina Faso has not yet established diplomatic relations with China. This was the first time for the CPAFFC to send a delegation there. The Sino-Burkinabe Friendship Forum founded in 2004 is an important link between the people of China and Burkina Faso. Zephirin Diabre, former deputy secretary general of the United Nations and deputy director general of the United Nations Development Programme, serves as honorary chairman of the Forum. He entertained the delegation at his home and hosted a cocktail party with an attendance of 80 people in honour of the delegation. Personages from the Parliament, the royal family and the government in capacity of friends attended the party. The delegation made contacts with the Chamber of Commerce of Burkina Faso, whose members are from over 30,000 enterprises. The Chamber organized a delegation of over 50 people to participate in the Chinese Export Commodities Fair (Canton Fair) in October 2005, and the Canton Fair in April 2006. El Hadj Hamade Ouedraogo, president of the Chamber, said, China is developing rapidly and has a huge market, and its experience is worth learning from. He is very much willing to strengthen economic and technological cooperation with China. He said, China is an important big country in the world, and he will promote exchanges and cooperation between the two peoples in the economic and trade fields through the Forum.