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| Kigali Rwanda |
President
Kagame
was yesterday received
by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao at his guest house in north China's port city of
Tianjin, where the two leaders held discussions on bilateral relations between
Rwanda and China.
Kagame is in
China to attend the three-day World Economic
Forum (WEF)'s sixth Annual Meeting of the New Champions (also
known as the Summer Davos). At the meeting, both leaders pledged to continue
strengthening bilateral cooperation, with China pledging an additional $25
million in grants and interest-free loans.
In a
clear example of commitment to bilateral cooperation, China committed to
removing tariffs for all Rwandan exports beginning in 2013. Chinese Prime
Minister encouraged Chinese enterprises to invest in Rwanda to seek common
development projects with local businesses.
Wen said
China and Rwanda have witnessed sound and stable development of bilateral ties,
as well as increasing friendship and mutual trust. "China encourages its
companies to invest in Rwanda, transfer advanced technologies, help train
professionals and develop new products and explore new markets," the
premier said.
Kagame said
China's sincere assistance has supported Rwanda's economic development and its
efforts to improve people's livelihood. "Rwanda wants to deepen its
relationship with China, as well as strengthen the two countries' coordination
and cooperation on international and regional issues," he noted.
The Head of
State added that Rwanda will also play an active role in the development of
China-Africa relations. On the situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of
Congo, Chinese Prime Minister also expressed his support for a peaceful process
in the region.
China's
cooperation with Rwanda has continuously grown stronger and is likely to
increase in the future as China continues to invest in areas that contribute to
the economic growth and transformation of Rwanda.
With over
200 million dollars invested in Rwanda and over 200 jobs created, the Chinese
government currently supports Rwanda in infrastructure, health, agriculture,
ICT and education sectors.
The
bilateral meeting was attended by Rwanda's
Ambassador to China, Francois Ngarambe, Minister of Finance, John Rwangombwa
and acting CEO of RDB, Clare Akamanzi. Kagame and
Wen expressed their satisfaction with the current cooperation between the two
nations.
"The
two leaders committed to ensuring that the current relationship remains one
that is mutually beneficial for both the people of Rwanda and China,"
Ambassador Ngarambe explained.
In July this
year, the Chinese government pledged to provide
$20 billion in concessional
loans to African countries within the next three years to assist in developing
infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, and small and medium-sized
enterprises.
The New Times Rwanda