China will support the creation of a maritime Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on the Cape Verdean island of S. Vicente, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday at a meeting in Praia with his Cape Verdean counterpart Luís Filipe Tavares.
The Cape Verdean Foreign Minister announced that the Chinese government will also finance the construction of a new maternity hospital in S. Vicente to serve the northern region of the country.
During the meeting, the two ministers reviewed the economic and political cooperation between the two countries, currently involving 12 projects, worth an estimated 30 million euros, according to Portuguese news agency Lusa.
Luís Filipe Tavares said that Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) will now begin to carry out the economic feasibility study of the Special Economic Zone and maternity projects, estimating that they will be operational by the end of this legislature.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recalled that Chinese cooperation has taken into account the needs of the country, ensuring the necessary support for Cape Verdean projects.
The head of Chinese diplomacy stressed the importance of Cabo Verde’s geographical position, adding that the Cape Verdean government “expressed a willingness to participate in the “Belt and Road” initiative of the Chinese government.
This initiative includes a set of rail and road routes, pipelines and ports, which extend from China to Europe, with alternative routes that pass through countries in South Asia, India, Iran and Turkey and arrive in Africa. (macauhub)
