China and Guinea-Bissau have elevated their ties into a strategic partnership. The deal was made during a three-day visit to Beijing by President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau and comes in the wake of new Chinese projects and investments in the West African nation.
The upgraded ties come after years of deepening relations, now in their 50th year. President Xi Jinping stressed that China was ready to strengthen exchanges at all levels, especially in areas like governance, agriculture, mining, infrastructure construction and the blue economy.
Xi also called on Chinese enterprises to invest in Guinea-Bissau, helping the country to realise its resource potential.
[See more: Guinea-Bissau aims to recover cashew sales in 2024]
Speaking at Osvaldo Vieira International Airport in Bissau before his trip, Sissoco Embaló said that China had committed a further US$27.5 million to Guinea-Bissau to be allocated to new projects.
Infrastructure currently being built with China’s help includes an 8.2-kilometre, US$14.8 million highway connecting the airport to the town of Safim. Upcoming projects include a conference centre, around 300 kilometres of road rehabilitation, and a university campus for 12,000 students. Education is another key area of cooperation, with China providing government scholarships and training opportunities to Guinea-Bissau’s promising scholars.
The two countries established diplomatic ties in March 1974, months before the rest of the world recognised Guinea-Bissau’s declaration of independence from Portugal. As Xi pointed out during the visit, even Guinea-Bissau’s national anthem reflects the long-standing friendship between the two nations: the words were written by founding father Amil Lopes Cabral and the music composed by Chinese musician Xiao He in the early 1960s.
