Good afternoon. President Daniel Chapo is back from a marathon seven-day visit to China, longer than any other foreign visit the president has undertaken. During his trip, Chapo visited four provinces and came away with an ambitious cooperation deal. If the promise of the deal is fulfilled, it could mean that China is back as a development partner of Mozambique in a big way for the first time since the 2010s, when the Chinese government financed the construction of the Maputo ring road and the Maputo-Katembe bridge with Chinese labour.
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According to reports, the Chinese government has promised to support the repair of the N1 north-south highway and to finance feasibility studies into a gas pipeline and a railway, which would also span the length of the country. It has also, importantly, committed to providing training and equipment to help fight the insurgency in the north. A new industrial park has been promised for Moamba district in Maputo province. Exactly what the Chinese government will get in return is unclear, but appears to involve greater access to natural resources. The Chinese have promised to carry out a geological survey to map the location of deposits of critical minerals used in electronics and batteries. Importantly as well, they are supposed to invest in industries to transform natural resources. This is a goal which the Mozambican government has been talking about for a long time, but has never quite achieved. Currently, minerals and gas are exported largely raw from Mozambique, and the processing work that would create jobs and add value is done elsewhere.
