The Premier of the State Council, Mr Wen Jiabao, today announced six measures to help spur growth in developing Portuguese-speaking countries and help lift them out of poverty. These measures, outlined in the Premier’s speech to the Third Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, are to be introduced over the 2010-2013 period. They are:-- - A US$1 billion co-operation and development fund between China and Portuguese-speaking countries will be set up by financial institutions from the Mainland and Macao to boost financial co-operation. - 1.6 billion Yuan in concessional loans under the bilateral framework will be provided to the Asian and African members of the Forum. - Materials, equipment, technical personnel and other support will be offered to one bilateral agricultural project in each Asian and African member of the Forum. - Train 1,500 officials and technical personnel for the Asian and African member of the Forum and support the Macao SAR Government in establishing a training centre under the Forum in Macao. - Provide 1,000 one-year government scholarships to students from the Asian and African members of the Forum to study in China. - Medical equipment worth 10 million yuan will be offered to each Asian and African member of the Forum. The Premier stressed that China valued its friendship with Portuguese-speaking countries and stood ready to play its part in helping developing Portuguese-speaking countries. Mr Wen said China’s assistance to some of the developing Portuguese-speaking countries in the past had benefited the local people. He pointed out that China had provided a total of 3.56 billion yuan in assistance to Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Timor-Leste since the founding of the Forum in 2003, and wrote off 230 million yuan of interest-free government loans for these countries. He also noted that a number of signature projects that China built, such as the Poilao Dam in Cape Verde, the national stadium in Mozambique, the Friendship Hospital in Guinea-Bissau, and the government office buildings in Timor-Leste, have become symbols of friendship between China and these countries and brought economic and social benefits to the people there.
