Angola China's largest African trade partner

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-01-19 08:39

LUANDA -- Angola has now become China largest trade partner in Africa, with bilateral trade volume hitting an all time high of US$25.3 billion in 2008, visiting Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said here on Sunday.

At a press conference after meeting Angolan Prime Minister Antonio Paulo Kassoma, the Chinese minister told reporters that the past few years have witnessed increasing friendly cooperation between the two countries in the economic relations and trade sector.

He said the Chinese-Angolan bilateral relations have been developing steadily thanks to the smooth implementation of a package of cooperation projects between the two countries in the sectors of petroleum, credit line, economic relations and trade.

To help Angola rehabilitate its economy after the 27-year civil war which ended in 2002, Chen said the Chinese government has exempted 67.38 million yuan (about US$10 million) debts Angola owed to China and given Angola duty free favorable treatment on 466 categories of products.

The Chinese government will take full use of the opportunities offered by the China-Africa Cooperation Forum and the China-Portuguese Speaking Countries Economic and Trade Forum to develop China-Angola bilateral relations, Chen said.

He said China will encourage brand-name Chinese enterprises to take part in Angola's national reconstruction programs, make more investments in Angola, and strengthen two-way cooperation in the sectors of agriculture, infrastructure facilities, public health, human resources so as to face challenges of the ongoing worldwide financial crisis and to raise the China-Angola friendly relations to a new high level.

The Chinese commerce minister arrived in Angola on Saturday afternoon for a two-day working visit. His three-nation African tour also brought him to Kenya and Zambia.