Rwanda and China’s Zhejiang Province have signed four deals, which will boost trade and education cooperation while also strengthening social cohesion between Rwanda and China.

On 7 September 2019, Mr. Yuan Jiajun, the Governor of Zhejiang Province paid a three-day official visit to Rwanda accompanied by a 57 business people delegation from Zhejiang comprised of Chinese government officials and members of the Zhejiang private sector.

During his visit, Mr. Yuan Jianjun was received by H.E Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda and exchanged views on cooperation between Zhejiang Province and Rwanda.

During a one-day China–Rwanda Business Forum in Kigali, four Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) were signed covering investment trade and industrial zones, extension of the existing deals with Alibaba group including; extension of Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP).

The ceremony was witnessed by Rwanda Government Officials including Rwanda Development Board’s CEO Clare Akamanzi and Minister of Trade and Industry among others, and on China side Mr. Yuan Jiajun, the Governor of Zhejiang Province, Mr. Rao Hongwei, the Ambassador of China to Rwanda and members of delegation.

While opening the China–Rwanda Business Forum, Rwanda Development Board CEO, Clare Akamanzi commended the forum as an opportunity to showcase business opportunities in both Rwanda and Zhejiang, existing partnerships, as well as act as a platform for networking and business engagement between the respective private sectors.

The CEO added that, Zhejiang Province is strongly established in several economic sectors that are aligned with Rwanda’s economic transformation aspirations.

Addressing the forum, the Governor of Zhejiang Province, Mr. Yuan Jiajun, said that the cooperation between Zhejiang and Rwanda has achieved fruitful results.  “In 2018, the trade volume between Zhejiang and Rwanda was worth US$ 34.47 million dollars, an increase of 27.3% compared to 2017,” the Governor said.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Soraya Hakuziyaremye said that China remains one of Rwanda’s development partners through a number of projects ranging from infrastructure, health, trade and Human resource development. She added that, relationship with China is now one of Rwanda’s most important, and certainly one of the longest standing. China has continued to lead the way in showing the benefits of engaging and partnering with Rwanda.

Moreover, during the forum, Alibaba Business School signed an agreement with RDB to start an undergraduate program that will train students in international business and cross-border e-commerce to bridge the skills shortage. Twenty-two students are expected to enroll for the next intake, which begins in September 2019.

Under cooperation framework with Alibaba, HEMA, a supermarket retail chain also inked a deal with Rwanda to facilitate Rwanda companies to export vegetables, fruits, meat and Chili to China.

In addition, an MOU between DP World and Alibaba on logistics and distribution of Chinese products across Africa was signed to use Rwanda as an entry point.

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