By Linda Kwanjana
Malawi President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, has hailed Chinese Government for significant strides registered in Malawi especially in the area of infrastructure development.
President Chakwera is in Beijing China and upon his arrival he went straight into business by holding bilateral talks with the country’s vice president Han Zheng.
Zheng also hosted President Chakwera and his delegation to dinner which the President described as a beautiful example of the generous hospitality that China is known for.
President Chakwera expressed gratitude to China for its support of various projects in Malawi facilitated through grants and concessional loans during over the past 15 years of diplomatic relations.
“China has successfully implemented vital infrastructure projects in transportation, education, healthcare, and energy,” said Chakwera citing the dualization of the M1 road from Mchinji Roundabout to Kanengo and the National Fibre Backbone Project II.
“On several occasions, your esteemed nation has offered timely humanitarian assistance in the wake of climate-related disasters, significantly bringing much needed help to Malawians affected by these crises, and for this, we are deeply grateful,” he said.
His Excellency further said the exchange programmes in science, higher education (primarily through scholarships), agriculture, media, and trade have impacted positively in addressing social and economic challenges.
“As we commemorate nearly two decades of our relationship, we affirm our unwavering commitment to deepening our partnership and exploring new opportunities,” said the Malawi leader.
He said Malawi was looking forward to the FOCAC summit because the inclusion of the Belt and Road Initiative on the agenda which emphasizes infrastructure development and regional connectivity and presents an opportunity to bolster support for implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“The establishment of a single African market, a beacon of hope, aligns with the mutual interests of African countries and China, holding the potential to foster global economic development through increased trade and investment flows.
“In light of this, Malawi eagerly seeks to enhance our railway line connectivity with our neighbours to address the high cost of transportation given our landlinked status,” said President Chakwera.
Zheng welcomed President Chakwera to China for the FOCAC Summit and expressed gratitude for his keynote address at the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) held in June of last year.
“Relations between our two countries continue to improve and President Xi Jinping looks forward to further discussing more areas of cooperation with you tomorrow during your meeting,” said Zheng.
The 2024 forum, themed “Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a HighLevel China-Africa Community with a Shared Future,” will serve as a platform to promote mutual cooperation.
