The vice-minister of trade of the People’s Republic of China, Wei Jianguo, will arrive in Cape Verde today for an official visit, on invitation from Cape Verde’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities, Victor Borges. During his stay in the country, Wei and the delegation of businessmen accompanying him will work with a team headed by Cape Verde’s Minister of the Economy, Growth and Competitiveness, José Brito.

The visit, according to information provided by the Ministry of the Economy, Growth and Competitiveness, is aimed at continuing with efforts to expand relations between China and Cape Verde in the realmos of development cooperation, economic, commercial and business relations, and investment.

Cape Verdean authorities believe that China could be crucial for the rapid and successful implementation of Cape Verde’s transformation agenda, particularly in key economic sectors such as tourism, fishing, transportation and services. These will be joined by new technology and the financial sector to contribute towards making Cape Verde, in the vision of the Ministry of the Economy, a global economic hub and an important point of access to four continents: Africa, South America, North America and Europe.

“The partnership between the two countries, in developing these key sectors, will help make possible a business platform for Chinese companies to expand their market to the ECOWAS and Portuguese-language African countries and benefit from AGOA accords. For Cape Verde, it will generate lasting jobs and facilitate the edification of the infrastructures necessary to insure the successful implementation of the country’s transformation agenda, based on reciprocal gains for both peoples,” reads a press release from the Ministry of the Economy, Growth and Cooperation.

In this context, the Cape Verdean government plans to explore the possibility of developing partnerships in the areas of transshipment, tax-free zones, fishing and tourism.

Source: A Semana