The bilateral ties between Mauritius and China nurtured over the past 50 years through strong collaboration and partnership, as well as various opportunities of cooperation were highlighted by the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, on Wednesday, at the Intercontinental Resort Hotel, Balaclava. He was speaking during a dinner organised by the Chinese Speaking Union to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Mauritius-China diplomatic relations.
The Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo; the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck; the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Mauritius, Mr Zhu Liying; the President of the Chinese Speaking Union, Mr Louis Hung Wai Wing; and other personalities were present at the event.
In his keynote address, the Prime Minister spoke of the arrival of the first Chinese immigrants some 250 years back during the Dutch period while emphasising that the Chinese community in Mauritius has helped to consolidate the link between Mauritius and the People’s Republic of China at cultural and economic level.
Speaking on the diplomatic relations between both countries, Prime Minister Jugnauth pointed out that they have been strengthened through the financial and technical support from China for the implementation of projects in sectors such as agriculture, housing, healthcare and security. To this end, he indicated that the Chinese Chamber’s of Commerce has helped to reinforce the cooperation between both countries. The financial assistance of the Chinese government for the construction the Cote d’Or National Sports was also underscored by the Prime Minister.
On other bilateral initiatives, Mr Jugnauth spoke of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between China and Mauritius, which came into force in January 2021. The FTA, he said, a first between China and an African country, is yet another milestone demonstrating the exceptional relationship of both countries, enabling Mauritius to benefit from preferential tariff lines on the Chinese market. He further recalled that China has granted Mauritius a Tariff Rate Quota of 50 000 tons’ market access for special sugar at a rate of 15%. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Dakar Action Plan held in Senegal last year opening avenues for Mauritius was also stressed by the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Jugnauth also extended gratitude to China for supporting Mauritius on the Chagos Archipelago issue. Regarding the relaunch of economic activities in the country following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister called upon the population to remain confident and united as well as to adopt a positive approach with a view to overcome the crisis.
For his part, Ambassador Liying reiterated his commitment to continuously engage in reinforcing the diplomatic ties through various initiatives such as exchange programmes. The bilateral relations between both countries will sustain a promising future and will contribute to make of Mauritius a hub between China and Africa for Sino-African cooperation, he added.
As for the President of the Chinese Speaking Union, he emphasised on the privilege bond that both Mauritius and China share. The Union will provide courses in Mandarin and the International Chinese Language Conference will be held next year, he said.
