On the morning of Friday 26th January 2024, the Chinese Ambassador to the Seychelles H.E. Ms. Lin Nan paid a Courtesy Call on the Hon. Speaker Roger Mancienne. The Speaker was accompanied by the Deputy Speaker Hon. Gervais Henrie, and the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly Ms. Alexandria Faure.
Ambassador Lin thanked the Speaker for the opportunity to meet, noting that she was honoured to serve as the 16th Ambassador to Seychelles and looked forward to strengthening the close relationship between the two countries. A principal goal during her mandate is the improvement of people-to-people relations, aimed at increasing the levels of understanding and mutual respect between all citizens of China and the Seychelles. Following the disaster on the 7th of December 2023, the Ambassador detailed the aid that the Chinese Embassy provided as an emergency response, including providing support to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, and sending engineers from China to assist in the assessment and rebuilding processes. The Ambassador also discussed the goal of expanding the opportunities for cooperation and development through new projects, with emphasis on issues such as social housing, capacity-building, and environmentally friendly advances.
The Hon. Speaker thanked the Ambassador, duly noting the remarkably quick response provided by the Chinese Embassy in such a tumultuous time and expressing his sincere appreciation for such efforts. Continuing the discussion on new projects and areas of collaboration, the Hon. Speaker noted the need for legislative cooperation and the maintenance of such a positive and fruitful relationship. The Speaker reiterated a point made by the Ambassador, remarking that the longstanding Seychelles-China bilateral cooperation was an excellent model of friendship regardless of country size. The values of democracy, social protection, and economic growth remain areas of mutual importance.
The Hon. Speaker then presented the Ambassador with a token of appreciation before the fruitful meeting came to a close.
