The Government of Rwanda commends the continued cooperation between the Government of the Peoples Republic of China and Africa through various platforms including the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). This was noted on Tuesday, November 16, by Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente, as he addressed, virtually, the fourth Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation (CALGC). “Our bilateral cooperation with China has played a significant role in the transformation of our key development sectors, including infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, ICT, trade, mining, transport, as well as tourism,” Ngirente noted. This year’s Forum is taking place at a time when Rwanda and China are celebrating the Golden Jubilee of bilateral cooperation that started in November 1971. “China and Africa have worked hand in hand to strategically develop political and socio-economic ties, and now, China is ranked among the top largest investors in Africa. This has created many opportunities and jobs for our respective peoples.” Despite the challenging times caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister said, the strategic partnership between China and Africa has continued to be reinforced in many areas of mutual interest. “We have benefited from China’s solidarity in the ongoing fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. For instance, China is one of Africa’s biggest suppliers of personal protective equipment in fighting Covid-19.” China supported Rwanda’s efforts to fight the pandemic with distribution of testing kits, personal protective equipment and vaccines. “In a bid to further cement our existing friendship and local government cooperation, our two countries (Rwanda and China) have started to implement city to city cooperation to enable people-to-people relations, cultural exchange and socio-economic development,” he said. According to the Prime Minister, the latest forum highlights the commitment from both China and Africa to deepen relations beyond the usual framework and include local governments that are the backbone in delivering essential services to citizens. The Fourth Forum on CALGC is organized by the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), the organization in charge of coordinating people to-people relations between China and other countries. The CPAFFC has always been dedicating to promoting local government cooperation between Chinese and African local governments. China is among Rwanda’s largest trading partners, among others, with trade volumes between the two nations reaching $321 million as at the end of 2020. At least 70 per cent of asphalt roads in Rwanda were constructed by Chinese companies, and Rwandan coffee is increasingly gaining popularity among Chinese consumers thanks to the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP). Rwanda also became the first African country to export dried chili to China. Over the next five years, it expects to export 50,000 tons of dried Chili to China.
