Africa-Press – Mauritius. The one-week official visit of the prime minister, Paul Bérenger, to China has given a real boost to cooperation between the two countries. This trip, the fifth in a series of visits to countries of origin of the local population took him to Beijing, Shanghai and Hainan island, in the South.
The PM says he is ?very satisfied? with his meetings with the Chinese leaders, especially President Hu Jintao and Prime minister Wen Jiabao, and the results of the visit.
Two cooperation agreements were signed during this visit. The first signed by Ariane Navarre-Marie, acting minister of Foreign affairs, concerns a Rs 150 million no-interest loan.
This will be partly used for the construction of a new radio and television station. The second agreement signed by Showkutally Soodhun, minister of Labour and Industrial relations. should allow a better control of the recruitment of Chinese labour in the EPZ.
The Board of Investment, Business Parks of Mauritius Ltd, the University of Mauritius and the University of Technology will now be asked to follow up on the prime minister?s visit to Zhongguancun Science Park so that Mauritius can benefit from the experience of this great IT centre in Beijing in its aspirations to become a regional knowledge and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) hub.
Huawei Technologies, also locatedin Beijing, has proposed to extend its ICT operations to Mauritius. The ICT sector should however not be the only one to benefit from that visit.
Tourism should also reap profits especially when Air Mauritius starts serving Shanghai soon. The service will start either from Plaisance or Hong-Kong, where Air Mauritius already has landing rights.
Relations between the Port-Louis harbour and Shanghai harbour will also take on a new dimension. They will soon become ?twin harbours. ? On the diplomatic front, the relations between China and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) were also discussed.
For the time being, 11 SADC member states out of 13 have diplomatic ties with China and only two have recognised Taiwan. One of these two countries could soon change its stand.
?We are moving in the right direction and this should improve the relations between China and the SADC the more so as Mauritius has always supported the One China Policy,? said Paul Bérenger. Trip broadcaston Chinese TV The prime minister is convinced that Mauritius could bridge the gap between China and Africa at various levels.
The Mauritian claim for sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, various issues concerning human rights and investment by Chinese businessmen were also touched on as part of the talks with the Chinese leaders.
The PM also met Mauritian students in Beijing and Shanghai. He briefed them on the local situation and listened to their complaints. The main ones concern the cost of living and of air fares between the two countries, which prevents them from coming home on holiday.
Paul Bérenger?s visit hit the headlines in Beijing and Shanghai and Chinese television also broadcast details of his trip. The visit ended in a grand finale with splendid fireworks last Friday in Shanghai. The prime minister and his delegation left Shanghai on Saturday and arrived in Mauritius on Sunday afternoon after a transit in Singapore.
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