Outgoing Chinese Ambassador bids farewell to Seychelles

The outgoing Chinese ambassador said that the discussions were very frank with President Ramkalawan. (Seychelles Nation) 

The outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Seychelles, Guo Wei, paid her final visit to the President of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, at State House on Tuesday afternoon, expressing her satisfaction for having played her part in strengthening the good relationship between the two nations.

"During the last four years, we have managed to do a lot together, despite the pandemic, towards which we collaborated with Seychelles to help the country face this issue, as well as many other projects that are progressing well," said Guo.

The Chinese Ambassador was accredited in 2018 and has overseen numerous projects in Seychelles, including the construction of Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation's (SBC) new headquarters.

She said that the construction encountered some delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic but is now going ahead as scheduled.

Meanwhile, although she will not be present, work has already been done for the Chinese government to provide Seychelles with the first fleet of fully electric buses. These will be used for public transport, as part of the country's plans to reduce its carbon footprint.

The outgoing ambassador said that the discussions were very frank with President Ramkalawan.  

"We spoke about the peaceful transition of the government of Seychelles after the last elections, which shows political maturity and is a great example for the world, and especially Africa, to follow," said Guo.

"We also spoke of the good relationship between our two countries and how it can continue to flourish, especially because this is not just a relationship between two governments, but also between two peoples," she added.

Before meeting with the President, the Ambassador also had her final meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sylvestre Radegonde, on Monday.

According to the foreign affairs department, she gave assurances that her successor will continue to collaborate on projects of mutual interest to both countries and find ways to improve exchanges and collaboration in areas such as Blue Economy, maritime security and tourism.