China re-affirms commitment to support EAC integration process

China on Tuesday re-affirmed its commitment towards supporting the East African Community's Integration interconnections in railway, airlines and industrialization.

Lu Youqing, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Tanzania, and the EAC bloc made the remarks in Arusha, Tanzania when he paid a courtesy call to Ambassador Liberat Mfumukeko, the Secretary General of EAC.

The Chinese envoy stressed the need for the trading bloc to fast track the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on China/EAC Aviation Cooperation.

Lu expressed China's growing interest in augmenting its cooperation with EAC, specifically the China/EAC/FTA Cooperation, noting that it would positively impact on EAC products going to the Chinese market, especially agricultural products.

He informed the Secretary General that China was finalizing the process of donating vehicles to EAC to enhance its capacity. The Chinese envoy further expressed hope that the Secretary General would continue the strong cooperation with China.

During the visit, ambassador Mfumukeko and the Chinese envoy discussed among other things the possible areas of cooperation and the need to organize investment conferences in China led by the East African Business Council.

Amb. Liberat recognized the significance of China in EAC noting that China is a potentially big partner for the bloc.

He acknowledged the contribution made by China in the infrastructure sector, particularly rails, roads and air transport geared towards enhancing trade in the region.

The Secretary General thanked China for her contribution towards the Burundi Dialogue Process and invited China to contribute to other projects and programmes, through the EAC Partnership Fund. Endit