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Chinese Leader Due In Seychelles At End Of Africa Tour
Victoria (AFP) Feb 08, 2007 Chinese President Hu Jintao is to arrive in the Seychelles on Friday, where he is expected to announce grants and loans worth 10 million dollars at the end of an eight-nation African tour. Hu and his entourage will arrive in the capital Victoria on Friday from Mozambique and hold talks with President James Michel, the islands' Secretary of State Alain Butler-Payette told a press conference here. The two leaders will seek to strengthen ties as well as sign technical and economic cooperation agreements, notably on fisheries, tourism and investment promotion. In addition, China will help in the construction of schools and a new national assembly building in Victoria. China is reputed for helping several African countries in the construction sector, chiefly stadia and bridges. "Relations have strengthened due to the strong personal relationship developed by President Hu Jintao and President James Michel when they met in 1998 when both held the post of vice president," Butler-Payette added. Butler-Payette announced that the Indian Ocean archipelago plans to open an embassy in Beijing next year, in addition to missions in Europe, Asia and Africa. With trade topping the agenda of Hu's African swing, critics have said the balance of trade is heavily in Beijing's favour, with cheap made-in-China commodities glutting stores across the world's poorest continent. Hu has stressed throughout the eight-nation trip that Africa had as much to benefit as China from the burgeoning relationship which has seen trade between Beijing and the continent triple in the last five years. During a keynote speech on Thursday in South Africa, which is China's largest trading partner in Africa, Hu said his country would "certainly not do anything harmful to the interests of Africa and its people." He said almost a century of foreign exploitation in China by Western powers had permanently scarred Beijing and therefore it was against any form of "colonialism" or "slavery." Hu heads home over the weekend after a brief stopover in the Seychelles, home to about 84,000 people, well known for its sun-drenched and pristine beaches that often host celebrity visitors. The Chinese leader started his tour in Cameroon and went on to Liberia, Sudan, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa and Mozambique.
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links Out Of Africa China News From SinoDaily.com Africa News - Resources, Health, Food
Mozambique Issues Flood Warning Amid Evacuation Appeal
Maputo (AFP) Feb 8, 2007Mozambican Prime Minister Luisa Diogo Thursday warned that torrential rains could wreak more havoc than heavy floods in 2001 when nearly 1,000 people died, as authorities urged people to start evacuating. "It's really a dramatic situation and there is a possibility of emergency," Diogo told reporters in Maputo, adding that the swelling waters of the Zambezi river in the centre of the country were of particular concern. |
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