The cooperation between China and Chad has constantly developed
since the two countries resumed diplomatic relations in August last
year, Chad's Communication Minister and government spokesman
Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor has said.
He said the cooperation is dynamic and is playing a great role
in boosting Chad's economic development.
Doumgor expressed appreciation for China's fulfillment of the
promises made at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation in November last year.
"Chad is one of the 48 African countries present at the Beijing
Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum," he told Xinhua in an
exclusive interview recently. "China has honored what it pledged at
the summit. In addition, China has offered Chad assistance more
than it has promised, for example, donating equipment to the
Ministry of Communication."
To forge a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership and
strengthen cooperation in more areas and at a higher level, the
Chinese government announced at the summit that it will take eight
measures including doubling its 2006 assistance to Africa by 2009.
Doumgor said that the cooperation between the two countries has
expanded from the traditional health and agriculture sectors to oil
and infrastructure sectors.
The two countries have agreed to develop several cooperation
projects after the resumption of diplomatic relations. The projects
include building an oil refinery in Chad, which would be the first
oil refinery in this country, and building a cement factory.
"It is Africa's opportunity to cooperate with China," said the
minister, "Chad wishes to learn from China's experience, fulfill
the cooperation projects and promote the bilateral
relationship."
He extended welcome to Chinese companies which have come to
invest in Chad, saying that this is a result of bilateral
cooperation, expressing the wish that more Chinese will come to
invest in Chad to promote Chad's economic development.
The minister highlighted the high-level exchange of visit since
the resumption of the diplomatic relations, saying that the two
countries should develop communication in various levels for the
benefit of long-term development of bilateral relations.
He suggested that the two countries develop activities such as
exchange of visits between youth, cultural promotion and
sports.
Chadian President Idriss Deby visited China in September when he
met Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.
China and Chad first established formal diplomatic links in 1972
but China severed diplomatic relations with Chad in 1997 when the
country resumed the so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan.
(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2007)
