Ambassador of Cabo Verde to China Tania Romualdo (COURTESY PHOTO) 

April 25 marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Cabo Verde. Over the past several decades, China-Cabo Verde cooperation has been gradually strengthened, especially under the framework of the Forum on China- Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), including closer communication on issues such as climate change, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, safeguarding the common interests of the two countries and those of the developing countries. On this occasion, ChinAfrica sat down with Ambassador of Cabo Verde to China Tania Romualdo in Beijing, discussing the development of the bilateral ties. Edited excerpts of the interview follow:  

ChinAfrica: What do you think have been the highlights of the China-Cabo Verde relations over the past 45 years?   

Tania Romualdo: In spite of the many thousands of miles and the time zones that separate us geographically, Cabo Verde and China maintain very honest, transparent, ongoing and mutually beneficial relations. The relations between our countries are excellent. Cabo Verde and China are old friends and know they can rely on each other. 

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in April 1976, China has played a significant role in the development of Cabo Verde. Chinese-built public buildings, such as the presidential, parliament and government buildings, are spread across the capital city. The National Stadium, home to our Blue Sharks (national football team), was also built by China, and the Poilão Dam is much appreciated by local farmers. 

Over the years, the political and diplomatic dialogue has expanded. Our friendship and cooperation has developed in a very healthy and stable way. Bilateral highlevel exchanges between our countries has increased, with frequent meetings at the governmental, parliamentary and political party level. We are thankful for China’s support to Cabo Verde’s development and also for China’s sensitivity to seek solutions that fit the specific condition of our small African island developing country. 

During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Cabo Verde in 2017, both countries expressed their strong will to deepen economic cooperation, starting with a Special Economic Zone on São Vicente Island. Cabo Verde is one of China’s important partners in Africa, and the relations between our countries set an example of what cooperation and partnership between a small and a big country can be. 

What should be the focus of China-Cabo Verde cooperation in 2021? 

In 2021, we will continue to work in the same direction. We strongly believe that along with the diplomatic and political dialogue, the cooperation for development will continue to play a vital role in key economic sectors. Cabo Verde and China are ready to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, development of Special Economic Zones, maritime economy, fisheries, agriculture and human resources development. On the other hand, we expect that particularly because of the global pandemic, the cooperation in the health sector will also continue to grow. 

Broad political stability is expected to prevail in Cabo Verde, underpinned by strong democratic institutions and protection of civil rights. Good governance, prudent macroeconomic management, trade openness with increasing integration into the global economy and the adoption of effective social development policies have produced positive results since our independence. The business and investment climate continue to improve with the economic reforms aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign direct investment to diversify the economy and lower the unemployment rate among the youth. Chinese investments are welcomed and will contribute to economic growth. 

How do you view the importance of people-to-people exchanges in advancing China-Cabo Verde bilateral ties? How to further strengthen such exchanges? 

We notice with great satisfaction that cultural exchanges between Cabo Verde and China are becoming more frequent every day. Unfortunately, they were put on hold since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. As the global fight against COVID-19 goes on and conditions for travel worldwide are being slowly restored, we expect that people-to-people and cultural exchanges will also restart and continue to play their role in promoting better mutual knowledge and understanding. In the fields of education and sports, usually involving youth, the exchanges are crucial and enable sharing of experiences in very direct ways. Around 300 students from Cabo Verde are studying in Chinese universities and colleges. The Confucius Institute, open in Cabo Verde since 2015, is very much appreciated by people in Cabo Verde who are eager to learn more about Chinese language, culture and history. 

Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected China-Cabo Verde economic cooperation? How to strengthen it in the post-pandemic era? 

It certainly did in a way that it affected worldwide economic cooperation and trade. Travel and goods transport, especially involving long-distance trips, continues to be a huge challenge and also affects direct contact between partners on both sides. 

While some might say Cabo Verde has little to offer in the realm of natural resources, it however enjoys an important geostrategic position, giving China an essential influence at the heart of the Atlantic Ocean through our strategic partnership and the Belt and Road Initiative that we joined in 2018. 

As to the second part of the question, I would like to underline that although during the pandemic we all became much more familiar with using new digital technologies at our disposal, this still represents a domain that poses great challenges. Therefore, Cabo Verde warmly welcomes technology cooperation and sharing knowledge and expertise in the field of new and digital technologies and platforms with China. We applaud the development of e-commerce in our country and the massive participation in it of SMEs, among which a big number are driven by youth and/or women. 

What’s your expectation from the FOCAC meeting to be held in Senegal this year? 

First of all, we hope that by the end of this year the global situation will allow the Dakar Summit to happen offline. As is known, currently the situation in China is under control but globally there is still a long way to go and travelling internationally is still a major challenge. 

Nevertheless, African countries and China are working on the preparations for the FOCAC Summit this year, bringing together heads of state and government of 53 African countries and China. This important summit will define and adopt the next Plan of Action which will guide the development of China’s bilateral relations with African countries and multilateral relations with the African continent. 

Our expectations are very high, because this summit represents the highest level of discussions among both sides and is an extraordinary opportunity to discuss the best way forward to further strengthen the relations between China and African countries.  

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