Chakwera back, hails China visit
President Lazarus Chakwera has hailed the Fourth Forum for China Africa Cooperation (Focac) Summit which he attended in the People’s Republic of China from September 4 to 6 2024.
In an interview upon arrival at Chileka International Airport in Blantyre yesterday, the President said the summit provided new opportunities which Malawi will leverage on.
He said: “I think deliverables for now would be the signing of the Judicial Complex construction and the fact that President Xi Jinping has announced a grant of $200 million.”
Chakwera said the removal of tariffs from trade items is another thing to cherish from the trip.
He said this will be integral in Malawi’s trade with China.
While in China, Chakwera held numerous engagements with potential investors, including holding bilateral talks with People’s Republic of China Vice-President Han Zheng.
Zheng also hosted the Malawi leader and his delegation to a dinner where he stressed that Chakwera’s presence at the summit signified growing relations between Malawi and China.
He said it was pleasing that Chakwera went back to China after a previous successful visit in June last year where he delivered a keynote address at the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (Caete).
A day later, Chakwera held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping where the two leaders discussed infrastructure investments, among others.
On the sidelines of the summit, the President also held discussions with investors in the energy sector, courting them to come and invest in Malawi in the midst of the current huge energy deficit.
About 40 African heads of State and government attended the summit.
This was Chakwera’s second official trip to China since winning the court-sanctioned fresh presidential election on June 23 2020.
Meanwhile, Chakwera is expected to undertake numerous official functions while in the Southern Region.
