Seychelles' capital, Victoria, to cooperate with Wuhan, China in construction, tourism

The agreement -- Establishing Friendly Exchange City Relations -- was signed in Seychelles by Wan Yong, Mayor of Wuhan (left) and Jacqueline Moustache-Belle, then Mayor of Victoria. (Joena Bonnelame, Seychelles News Agency)

(Seychelles News Agency) - Construction, the blue economy and tourism are areas that will be targeted for co-operation between the Seychelles' capital, Victoria, and the Chinese city Wuhan through a new agreement signed on Monday.

The agreement -- Establishing Friendly Exchange City Relations -- was signed in Seychelles by Wan Yong, Mayor of Wuhan and Jacqueline Moustache-Belle, then Mayor of Victoria.

Moustache-Belle was on Monday announced as the chief of presidential protocol, following the appointment of new senior officials at State House, by the Seychelles President Danny Faure.  

Mayor Yong told reporters, “The first [areas of cooperation] are in the infrastructure, engineering, construction and design fields. Wuhan is very strong in this area and has a lot to offer.”

Yong added that the blue economy development was the other area identified, saying that: “Wuhan can become the distribution centre of the fishery products in China.”

Wuhan is the capital city of Hubei Province in central China, located at the juncture of Yangtze, the world's third-longest river. The city has a lot of fresh water resources and mountains which Yong said are of great attraction to tourists.

Yong spoke about tourism and said that Seychelles is one of the best destinations to visit, and thus opportunities for exchanges. 

The new agreement will also benefit Seychellois students, artists, athletes and choreographers among others. (Salifa Magnan, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, relies heavily on tourism which is the top pillar of the country’s economy.

During his visit, Yong and his delegation also paid a courtesy call to Jean-Paul Adam, the Seychelles Minister of Finance, Trade and the Blue Economy.

The new agreement will also benefit Seychellois students, artists, athletes and choreographers among others.

According to Moustache-Belle, “Many of the exchanges and opportunity happens through twinning [agreements] with the support of the embassy. They don’t have any boundaries and the sky is the limit.”

Moustache-Belle said that this is the sixth twinning agreement signed with a municipality in China.