CHINA PLEDGES TO BACK TANZANIA'S INDUSTRIALIZATION

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa (right) and Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Minister Dr Augustine Mahiga (left) during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (second right) and his delegation in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Second (left) is the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Lu Youqing. Wang Yi was in the country for a one-day working visit. 

Summary

• The Chinese minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Wang Yi, issued the promise during official talks with his Tanzanian counterpart, Dr Augustine Mahiga in the city. Mr Yi had paid a day-long official visit.
• He said, China was ready to assist Tanzania in its development projects particularly roads, railway and the construction of ports in Bagamoyo and Zanzibar.

Dar es salaam. China has pledged more development support for Tanzania to enable the country meet targets set in the 2016/20 National Development Plan and achieve the ambition to build the industrial economy.

The Chinese minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Wang Yi, issued the promise during official talks with his Tanzanian counterpart, Dr Augustine Mahiga in the city. Mr Yi had paid a day-long official visit.

He said, China was ready to assist Tanzania in its development projects particularly roads, railway and the construction of ports in Bagamoyo and Zanzibar.

“The cooperation will continue to go deeper and extensively, and China will always stand shoulder to shoulder in the making of Tanzania development and for the well being of it’s people,” he said.

This was among the issues which dominated the one-hour discussions between the two delegations at the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam. “We also promise to pump industrial investment as a way to support the government mission of building an industrial economy,”he said.

Moreover, he assured continued support for Tanzania in the latter’s bid to improve industries and infrastructure.

For his part, Dr Mahiga welcomed the support, saying that the government was ready for the move, as part of efforts to improve lives of of the people.

“We encourage many Chinese companies to invest in Tanzania and again, they have shown interest to build us new structures in Dodoma,” he said.

According to him, China is committed to pose comprehensive reforms at Tazara to commercialize the railway for the purpose of adding it’s contributions to the economy.

The Citizen