China-Mozambique relations
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| People's Republic of China | Mozambique |
China-Mozambique relations date back to the 1960s, when China began to support the struggle of Mozambique's Marxist-oriented FRELIMO party against Portuguese colonialism.[1] Diplomatic relations were formally established on 25 June 1975, soon after Mozambique gained its independence from Portugal.[2] In November 2006, Mozambique became the thirteenth African country to be added to China's official list of tourism destinations.[3] Hu Jintao, president of the People's Republic of China, made an official visit to Mozambique in February 2007, during which he and Armando Guebuza, the president of Mozambique, pledged further cooperation in the areas of economy, technology, agriculture, education and sports.[4] Shanghai and Maputo share a sister city relationship. From 1992 and 2003, 22 Mozambicans went to China as international students. Between 7,000 and 12,000 Chinese nationals residents in Mozambique as of 2007; the Chinese embassy gives the lower estimate, while the local police give the higher one.[2][1]
China's pattern of trade with Mozambique differs from that with their major trading partners on the African continent, such as Angola, Nigeria, and Sudan. China mainly imports agricultural and fisheries products from Mozambique, but few raw materials, while exporting manufactured goods and machinery. Between 2004 and 2006, bilateral trade tripled in value from US$70 million to US$210 million, making China one of Mozambique's three largest trading partners, behind South Africa and Portugal. [1] China has also become a major buyer of Mozambican timber; despite local regulations forbidding the export of unprocessed logs, which aim to force foreign countries hoping to gain access to Mozambican resources to invest in setting up processing facilities in the country, many logs are exported illegally. Chinese businessmen are not typically involved in the actual practise of logging; instead, it is performed mainly by locals, who then bring the logs to buyers in port cities.[5] China has also become an increasingly important player in Mozambique's construction industry; over one-third of Mozambique's new road construction is now carried out by Chinese contractors. Contractors from other countries, who have been losing out on business due to their higher costs, complain that the Chinese contractors make no effort to transfer skills or technology to locals, and do not make use of local or regional labour subcontractors, instead preferring to import and manage their own workers. However, Chinese-run construction sites are better-organised and have a lower rate of pilferage.[6]
In addition to trade, China has begun providing development aid to Mozambique as well. The Export-Import Bank of China have made soft loans to Mozambique for infrastructure construction, for example providing US$60 million in 2006, and have twice cancelled large proportions of the country's debt to China, forgiving US$22 million in 2001 and US$30 million in 2007. They have also built a number of government buildings and public facilities free of charge, such as the national parliament building and the national stadium.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Horta, Loro. "China, Mozambique: old friends, new business", ISN Security Update, 2007-08-13. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ a b Mozambique. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China (2003-08-26). Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ "China grants Mozambique tourism destination status", China Daily, 2006-11-04. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ "Chinese, Mozambican presidents pledge to uplift bilateral ties", Xinhua News Agency, 2007-02-09. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ "Mozambique: Chainsaws cut down more than just trees", IRIN Africa, 2007-01-30. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ Bosten, Emmy (2006-01-19). "China's Engagement in the Construction Industry of Southern Africa: the case of Mozambique". Asian and other Drivers of Global Change, Institute of Development Studies. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
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