Interview: Strong, practical relations with China positively impact Rwandan people, says Rwandan FM

Despite global crises like inflation, war and pandemic, China-Africa cooperation has remained resilient, Nduhungirehe said, attributing this to their deep historical ties and China's long-term investment in Africa.

CHANGSHA, China, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The strong and practical relations between Rwanda and China are "positively impacting the Rwandan population," said Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe.

"We have an excellent relationship with China," Nduhungirehe said in an interview with Xinhua during the fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) held on June 12-15 in Changsha, capital of China's central Hunan province.

He highlighted the broad scope of cooperation between the two countries in sectors such as health, education, agriculture, technology and energy. "We have roads that are being built and also a hydropower plant -- the Nyabarongo II Hydropower Plant -- that is supported by China," he noted.

One key area of collaboration is digital transformation. Since the year 2000, Rwanda has significantly invested in digital infrastructure, laying down thousands of kilometers of fiber optics and achieving over 95 percent 5G coverage. "These investments are supported by China," Nduhungirehe said, "we are grateful to China for its assistance in this endeavor."

Despite global crises like inflation, war and pandemic, China-Africa cooperation has remained resilient, he said, attributing this to their deep historical ties and China's long-term investment in Africa.

"Since the independence of African countries, China has been supporting us against colonization and imperialism," said Nduhungirehe.

On multilateral issues, Nduhungirehe stressed the importance of a collective voice from the Global South. "It's important for Africa and China to work together to raise our voice in international affairs," he said.

He expressed appreciation for China's support for African countries in institutions such as the UN Security Council. "We believe we will continue working together with China to ensure that the African continent is represented in global decision-making bodies."

Regarding the CAETE, Nduhungirehe said Rwanda places great value on the event. "This is our fourth time attending," he said. "The expo is important in two ways: First, it gives Rwanda the opportunity to showcase our export products like coffee, tea, honey and chili -- all high-quality and popular in the Chinese market."

"Second, it is an opportunity to promote Chinese investment in Rwanda, because we have one of the best business climates in Africa," he said.

Currently, China is the leading source of foreign direct investment in Rwanda, Nduhungirehe said. "We can also collaborate with Chinese companies to invest in other African countries."

"Our ambition is to increase the volume of products we export to China, and to explore new products that are not yet present in the Chinese market," he said. "We believe we will achieve that in the years to come."■