By Francisca Augusto
Africa-Press – Angola. Angola and China will take another step towards strengthening bilateral cooperation this week, within the framework of the participation of the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, in the 8th International Taihu Culture Conference in this country.
The Angolan Vice-President is undertaking a three-day trip to the “Asian Giant,” focusing on deepening cultural, environmental, economic, and business relations, which are intended to be even more “vibrant.”
The trip comes a few days after Esperança da Costa addressed the issue of bilateral relations in Luanda during a meeting with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Angola, Zhang Bin, who highlighted the strategic nature and high level of cooperation.
At the time, the diplomat reiterated China’s commitment to supporting Angola’s development and stated that the two states will work to implement all recommendations presented in this field.
Zhang Bin said he had positive observations about the progress of bilateral relations and highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation to new areas, such as agriculture, industry and processing of minerals.
The diplomat also said that the strength of relations between Angola and China is reflected in the closeness between the peoples, and in cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
The Vice-President’s visit therefore opens another important space for dialogue for the two nations to assess the effectiveness of existing agreements and to plan new areas of investment, especially involving the private sector.
During the three-day visit, the highlight will be Angola’s participation in the Taihu International Culture Conference, an annual event that brings together experts and global leaders to discuss topics related to culture and civilization.
With the aim of promoting intercultural dialogue and the development of human civilization, the event is organized by the Taihu World Culture Forum and has already taken place in several Chinese cities, such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Macaé, and Beijing.
The event also aims to promote learning between civilizations and the development of human civilization, encouraging the exchange of ideas and intercultural dialogue.
The World Taihu Culture Forum is a Chinese non-governmental organization dedicated to culture. The conference is organized in conjunction with other important institutions, such as the China Daily, an English-language newspaper.
It brings together experts, government officials and people from various fields to discuss the trends in world culture.
Esperança da Costa’s visit to the People’s Republic of China constitutes a new window to attract new Chinese investors, who can take advantage of the improved business environment in Angola to diversify their investments.
With this visit, it is hoped that this mission will allow both countries to find platforms for understanding adapted to the realities of their respective peoples, capable of providing mutual benefits and diversifying existing cooperation.
Currently, cooperation relations between the two countries have their legal framework based on a General Agreement that operates in the most varied fields of the country’s economic and social life, with a strong presence in the areas of Training, as in the case of the construction and equipping of the Integrated Center for Technological Training and the Venâncio de Moura Diplomatic Academy, and scholarships for young Angolans.
Angola and China are strategic partners, with political, diplomatic and cooperation relations that have seen a notable increase since 2000, leading to the signing of several legal instruments in the social, commercial, as well as business domains.
Since 2007, Angola has been China’s largest trading partner in Africa, with a trade volume that totaled USD 24.8 billion in 2010 alone.
In 2017, the value of trade with the Asian country increased by 61.32% in the first quarter, reaching USD 5.55 billion.
At the end of 2018, China approved a new financing line of USD 2 billion.
Angola regained its position as China’s second-largest trading partner in Africa in 2022, a position it had lost in 2020. Trade between the two countries exceeded USd 22 billion from January to November 2022.
This volume represents an increase of over 26% compared to the same period last year, according to the then Chinese ambassador to Angola, Gong Tao.
The Chinese diplomat emphasizes that, in 2022, Angolan exports to China were more diversified than in previous years because, in addition to oil, Angola exported coffee, fruits, metallic minerals and ornamental rocks.
According to data, Chinese companies have built approximately 3,000 km of railway, 20,000 km of roads, 100,000 social housing units, 100 schools, 50 hospitals and much more in Angola.
The projects, both completed and ongoing, include the Caculo Cabaça Dam, the new Luanda International Airport, the Kilamba and Dundo urban developments, the Benguela Railway, the Soyo Thermal Power Plant, among others.
China has actively supported Angola’s development and provided assistance through donation projects such as CINFOTEC Huambo, the Luanda General Hospital, the Center for Demonstration of Various Agricultural Technologies in Mazozo and the Venâncio de Moura Diplomatic Academy.
China has specifically provided training for over 3,000 Angolan officials in the fields of commerce, agriculture, health, media and police. The country sent five medical teams, composed of 70 physicians, who treated nearly 400,000 Angolan patients. China also made available hundreds of scholarships to Angolans and helped train talent in various industries.
With a stock valued at USD 18,410.2 million, corresponding to 37.27% of Angola’s total external public debt (valued at approximately USD 49,387.7 million as of the third quarter of 2023). China remains Angola’s largest creditor, despite the government’s efforts to reduce its debt to the “Asian giant”.
Source: ANGOP
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