More Chinese companies expected to invest in Comoros

Maoulana Charif, Ambassador of Union of Comoros to China (Haiwainet/Ji Xingzhao)

Comoros, a developing country, has been advancing the "Emerging Comoros Plan for 2030" strategy with the aim of turning the country into an emerging market with full vitality. The "Emerging Comoros Plan for 2030" mainly involves sectors with immense potential, including tourism, handicraft industry, agriculture, industry and finance.

The "Emerging Comoros Plan for 2030" strategy has been fully planned to seek synergy with some international development agendas, such as the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035. Among them, the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035 adopted in the Dakar Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2021 is of great significance to Africa. Under the first three-year plan of the vision, China announced nine programs of China-Africa cooperation and we welcome this. More support from China is expected as we are advancing the "Emerging Comoros Plan for 2030" strategy and Chinese companies are welcomed to invest in Comoros.

Comoros and China enjoy long-lasting and stable cooperation and the development of bilateral relations is built on the basis of friendship, equality, solidarity and mutual benefit. On behalf of Comoros, I would like to express our thanks to China for its strong support for us in such areas as infrastructure, education and health. For example, Chinese companies have helped to promote the development of private economy in Comoros and helped local workers to learn technologies. China has also sent a medical team to Comoros and provided us with free COVID-19 vaccines to assist our fight against the pandemic. I want to extend our special gratitude to these efforts.

It is worth mentioning in particular that China’s remarks have received warm response from the government and people of Comoros that China stands ready to promote the implementation of the nine programs of China-Africa cooperation in Comoros and seek synergy with the "Emerging Comoros Plan for 2030" strategy. Businesses in Comoros are highly inspired by the announcement that Comoros is welcome to make good use of the "green channel" for African agricultural products to be exported to China and the zero-tariff policy for products from the least developed countries to enter China, so as to promote more high-quality products from Comoros to enter the Chinese market.

Comoros, with abundant natural resources, promises enormous development potential. Taking the industry sector, which has been listed in the "Emerging Comoros Plan for 2030", as an example, Comoros has been committed to increasing the share of the processing industry to release its great potential of creating more added value and jobs. Comoros’ industrialization involves oil and mineral resources exploitation as well as agricultural products processing. The latter includes extraction of Ylang Ylang essential oil, perfume making and seafood processing. Comoros is ready to welcome all investors from China and elsewhere in the world.

(By Maoulana Charif, Ambassador of Union of Comoros to China)