The Seychelles government has signed two new agreements with the People’s Republic of China in a ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jean-Paul Adam, and the resident Ambassador for China, Mr. Shi Zhongjun, signed a grant for 40 million yuan (approximately Rs90 million), which forms part of Seychelles-China Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement and will go towards funding existing projects being undertaken with the Chinese government, such as the Glacis Primary School and residential housing projects like Corgate Estate and Les Mamelles.

The second agreement is for a solar panel street lighting project, which includes the provision of the renewable energy technology required.

“This signing is a further testament to the relations we have with China… and a symbol that China recognizes that in order to develop oneself, we must help develop the world around us,” said the Minister,

“China has recognized that one of the key vulnerabilities of Seychelles is our vulnerability to the global price of fuel and has offered us assistance to help reduce this dependency.”

The Chinese Ambassador said that China considered Seychelles as one of its best friends and will continue to provide assistance without any conditions.

“China would like to go hand in hand with Seychelles to economic challenges… Our cooperation will ensure that the more China develops, the more we will have to share and contribute to the world,” said the Ambassador.

The Minister also said that, following lengthy discussions that have taken place over recent months, the solar panel project will soon be at its implementation stage.