17 Sep 2014

The relations between Botswana and China have grown stronger as demonstrated by the increasing volumes of trade, a number of high level and business visits, according to the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Mr Masisi said the relations between the two countries were cemented by the generous offers of development and technical assistance by the Chinese. He said Botswana was grateful to receive the generous development assistance from China, particularly scholarships and short-term training offers, which will go a long way in assisting with the human resources challenges the country faced.

Speaking at the 65th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China celebrations in Gaborone on September 16, he said China was a major source of development assistance for countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America in the form of grants, concessional loans and interest free loans, human resources development, technical assistance, debt relief and humanitarian assistance.

He said he was delighted to receive for the 2014/2015 academic year, 23 scholarships for Batswana to study bachelor, masters and doctorate degrees in Chinese institutions, adding that this gesture, which China had been extending to Botswana since the 1980s, was a clear demonstration of the importance that China attaches to the socio economic development of this country.

Mr Masisi said in June this year, 18 government officials underwent training on Chinese aid policy in Beijing, sponsored by the Chinese government and the training provided officials with understanding of China’s aid policy and empowered them with the knowledge of sourcing and managing development assistance from China.

He said in the health sector, Botswana continues to enjoy technical assistance in the form of health experts from China, technical expertise for cataract operations, training of health personnel and donation of medical equipment.

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Botswana, Mr Zheng Zhuqiang said the gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 7.4 per cent over the previous year and its total imports and exports exceeded two trillion US dollars, an increase of 1.2 per cent, and the per capita disposable income of national residents rose by 10.8 per cent in real terms.

He said Chinese economy is highly resilient and has a lot of potential and ample space to grow and said they have all the confidence, ability and resources to realise the major goals of China’s development in 2014

He said while pursuing its own development, China has become one of the major economies in the world and an important contributor to world economic growth, and last year, China’s contribution to world economic growth rate accounted for nearly 30 per cent.

The Ambassador said on imported goods, it reached nearly two trillion US dollars, accounting for 10 per cent of the world and in the next five years, china is expected to import more than 10 trillion US dollars of goods, invest over 500 billion US dollars overseas and send 500 million tourists abroad and said it is for sure that China is ready to share this huge development opportunity and achieve mutual benefits with the rest of the world, including Botswana. ENDS