"You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then
heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius." That's Mark
Twain in Following the Equator, describing the island country in
Indian Ocean.
Heaven on earth may be a misnomer, but Mauritian Prime Minister
Navinchandra Ramgoolam believes his country is a paradise on earth
for investors. "Though a small island, Mauritius has a diversified
economy. We now have a 5 percent annual economic growth and
favorable policies for investors," says the prime minister.
The island with its turquoise sea, green mountains, silver
beaches and golden sun is an ideal tourist destination. In fact,
tourism and services are two of the main driving forces of the 45
km by 65 km country. About 12,000 people are employed directly by
the tourism sector, with many more working for it indirectly.
In 1970, Mauritius got only 28,000 foreign tourists. Today that
figure has gone up to 600,000, or half of the country's population.
"We are getting more tourists from China now," says the prime
minister, hoping the proposed direct flights between China and
Mauritius will increase their number to a large extent.
China recognized Mauritius as a tourist destination for its
people in 2003, and about 5,000 Chinese visited the country last
year. "We have signed a bilateral air agreement with China, so we
probably will have direct flights to and from Beijing by next year
or latest by 2009."
But that will fulfill only part of Ramgoolam's expectations, for
he wants more Chinese enterprises to invest on the island and the
ones that are already there to increase their volume of capital. To
realize that goal, he has visited Beijing and Shanghai and the
capitals of Zhejiang and Anhui -- Hangzhou and Hefei -- during his
six-day official trip to China.
He was invited by Premier Wen Jiabao, and has already met with
him and President Hu Jintao, and will fly back home on Saturday. He
was in Beijing earlier, in November 2005, to attend the Summit of
the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
Shortly after the Beijing summit, China decided Mauritius would
be one of the bases for its three to five trade and economic zones
(TEZs) in Africa. The move was part its "eight-point" policy to
help African development.
"I'm very happy China has chosen Mauritius," the 60-year-old
prime minister said. "This project is precisely the kind of cluster
we are promoting in the country and, in spite of the many
difficulties, we are committed to providing a conducive environment
to investors."
The project will "definitely benefit both sides", says
Ramgoolam. "On our side, we get some advanced technologies, we get
jobs for our people and we get a turnover of foreign exchange. All
this is important for us." The US$500-million TEZ in Mauritius is
estimated to generate about 7,500 jobs and export earnings of more
than US$200 million a year.
"On the Chinese side, you will get a platform to enter Africa.
We have ports in southern Africa, we have ports in the Indian
ocean. This ensures it of a market of nearly 500 million
people."
Emerging as a middle-income economy, Mauritius is now poised to
become the business hub of the Indian Ocean and the gateway to
eastern and southern Africa.
On the eve of independence in 1968, Mauritius was essentially a
mono-crop economy producing mainly sugar, which accounted for 99
percent of its export earnings. But economic restructuring saw the
island nation develop from a low-income, agriculture-based society
to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial -
especially textiles - financial and tourism sectors.
The success of the Mauritian economy is the result of its
political stability, good governance, clear policy orientation,
consistency in management and a strong belief in free enterprise.
Today, many people call it a "Mauritius Miracle" and cite is as an
example for other developing countries to follow.
Although it's a multi-ethnic country, it has never been plagued
by conflicts. Peace and unity are the key words on the island, and
diligence is the name of the game for its people.
Ramgoolam sees the China-Africa strategic partnership as a very
positive development, for it means more Chinese entrepreneurs
investing in Africa, especially in his country. Though China
accounts for 14 percent of the total foreign direct investment on
the island, it's not the largest investor in Mauritius.
"We want sectors such as electronics, agriculture, IT and
agro-business to be invested in." To attract more foreign
investment, the Mauritius government reduced corporate tax to 15
percent in its 2007-2008 budget.
Ramgoolam began his second five-year term as prime minister on
July 5, 2005, and has focused his development strategy on foreign
investment. He is leading his people to transform the country into
a competitive global business center.
Describing Beijing's policy toward Africa as "very good", he
says China is undoubtedly an important player on the world stage
today, and as an economic giant it is in a position to help Africa.
China-Africa cooperation is "for development, both for the African
continent and China".
"The more trade you have, the more exchanges there will be. It's
better for both." This is a situation from which everyone will
emerge with hands full.
It's important that African countries and China build on their
past achievements and develop new forms of cooperation, he says,
urging the continent to stand united at global forums and
"reorient" their policies to "adapt to market economy".
Bilateral ties with China have improved with each passing year
since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two
countries in 1972, he says. The past years have seen regular
exchanges of views and close coordination on bilateral and major
international and regional issues. "China today is one of the most
important partners (of) Mauritius (and has helped it in) in its
drive for higher economic development."
China may be very far from Mauritius geographically, he says,
but culturally it's very close. It's not surprising to hear people
speak in Cantonese, Hakka or Putonghua on the streets of Mauritius,
even though English is the country's official language, and French
is spoken by almost everyone. Chinese cuisine is part of the
island's staples, as are Indian and continental dishes.
Spring Festival, or the Chinese lunar new year, is celebrated
with as much joy and gaiety on the island as it is in China. The
customs followed by the Chinese in Mauritius is the same as back
home: houses are cleaned thoroughly before the Spring Festival, no
knives or scissors are used on the actual day of the festival, the
color red is omnipresent as the symbol of good luck and happiness,
food is offered to the deities to ensure the next year turns out to
be better and firecrackers are set off to drive away the evil
spirits.
"We celebrate the festival in a big way. Every Chinese-Mauritian
makes cakes and sends them to friends and neighbors," Ramgoolam
says. It has become more of a community festival today. It is
celebrated on a national level with cultural shows and other
entertainment programs.
So Mauritius is not only about nature tourism, it's also about
diversified culture and cuisine, and good business.
(China Daily July 13, 2007)
