Interview: Cooperation with China transforms Equatorial Guinea, says President Obiang

MALABO, May 25 (Xinhua) — Since the establishment of their diplomatic relations, China and Equatorial Guinea have supported and helped each other, yielding rich fruits in bilateral cooperation with broad development prospects, said Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

“China has supported Equatorial Guinea in many fields, both economic and technical. Equatorial Guinea is satisfied with the support we receive from the People’s Republic of China. You could even say that part of the transformation of Equatorial Guinea is precisely due to the economic support from the Chinese government,” Obiang told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Obiang will pay a state visit to China on May 26-31. He has visited China multiple times as head of state. Recalling his first visit to China in 1984, Obiang lauded China’s tremendous changes, noting that “it has reached spectacular levels.”

Over the past 54 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Equatorial Guinea have steadily advanced major cooperation projects in infrastructure construction, technical assistance and other areas. Projects, such as the port of Bata on the Gulf of Guinea and the Djibloho Hydropower Plant, built or aided by Chinese enterprises, have brought tangible improvements to the life of local people, said the president.

Speaking of the outcomes achieved under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative, Obiang said cooperation in fields such as health, agriculture, commerce and technology has greatly boosted Equatorial Guinea’s economic and social development.

Equatorial Guinea hopes that China will assist in its economic diversification, continue technology transfer and increase support for talent training to help the country lay a solid foundation for independent development, he said.

China has launched the Initiative on Supporting Africa’s Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development, which are effective ways for African countries to address development challenges and can truly help African countries develop, Obiang added.

“I appreciate President Xi Jinping’s initiative to help African countries. I believe it is the most effective way for Africa to overcome all the difficulties it faces today, which we have not been able to achieve through the countries that colonized us,” Obiang said.

“China’s cooperation is yielding good results in talent training and project financing. This naturally strengthens African nations in general and Equatorial Guinea in particular,” he noted.

China has excelled in increasing production capacity, which has helped lift the living standards of people in many countries, especially in Africa, he said.

He said that the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, proposed by the Chinese president, has significant implications for the peace and development of African countries.

In the face of disasters and pandemics, China and Equatorial Guinea have united and helped each other. In February 2020, Equatorial Guinea donated 2 million U.S. dollars to China to support its fight against COVID-19, Obiang said.

Equatorial Guinea also provided humanitarian assistance to China, he said. On Feb. 10, 2021, China-aided COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Malabo, as the first batch of vaccines provided by China to African countries.

During his visit to China in April 2015, Obiang announced the donation of the China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Primary School to Jinping County in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province.

“When Equatorial Guinea offers such aid, it reflects our belief in the importance of training human talents. We think it is good for individuals to receive education and attain significant levels of knowledge, enabling them to become talents that can help their communities,” he said.

“Therefore, the support given to the school in Yunnan was to support the training of human resources,” he said with a smile as he was shown recent photos of the school. Enditem

(Xinhua correspondents Zeng Tao and Han Xu also contributed to the story.)

Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, May 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Han Xu)