Trade between China and Angola has grown by 38 percent in the last 20 years, a “qualitative and quantitative leap” contributing to the “rapid development” of both countries – according to officials.
The remarks came as the two countries celebrated 40 years of cooperation and diplomatic relations at the Angola-China Business Forum (FONAC) in Luanda. Gong Tao, China’s ambassador to Angola, praised the “considerable development” and cooperation achieved by his country and Angola, producing “fruitful results” in many fields.
“Economic and trade cooperation has always been the high point of this cooperation,” Gong said, citing the substantial increase in trade since 2002 (when Angola emerged from a decades-long civil war) – along with China’s numerous infrastructure investments in the country.
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“[In] 2002, China was the first country to extend its hands to offer strong support to the national reconstruction of Angola,” Gong said. He underlined that Chinese companies helped to recover and build 2,800 km of railway, 20,000 km of roads, and more than 100,000 homes, 100 schools and 50 hospitals.
Chinese companies are currently building the Caculo Cabaça hydroelectric plant in Angola’s Cuanza Norte Province, as well as the new Luanda International Airport. These two projects will have “a great impact on the national economy of society and on the daily lives of [Angola’s] citizens,” Gong said.
More than 400 Chinese companies are currently in Angola, with investment across several sectors now exceeding US$24 billion, according to preliminary data cited by Gong. China has been Angola’s largest trading partner for many years.
Angola’s minister of state for economic coordination José de Lima Massano called for “more investment” at FONAC, particularly in food production, housing, manufacturing and trade.
