China-Cape Verde cooperation to prioritize education in 2014

Education will be the priority for cooperation between China and Cape Verde in 2014, Chinese Ambassador in Praia Su Jian told the African country's national radio on Wednesday.

He said China plans to fund the construction of a new campus for the University of Cape Verde and officially open a Confucius Institute in Praia to teach the Chinese language and culture in 2014.

At the same time, Chinese universities will continue receiving Cape Verdian students, as a priority in the cooperation between the two countries.

"That means more Cape Verdian students will study in China on Chinese government scholarships and we shall continue with the short training courses for Cape Verde's government officials and technocrats," Su added.

This year, China also intends to complete the construction of a tourism school in Cape Verde's Sal island. The ambassador said the school will be a "modern" one with a capacity to host 1,800 students.

In rural development, China plans to fund the construction of a center for value added agricultural products in Santiago island.

It is also expected that in 2014, the Chinese government will offer two military naval ships to Cape Verde for surveillance and control of its territorial waters. It will help renovate and modernize the Presidential Palace.

Besides these specific projects, the ultimate objective of the Chinese authorities is to promote economic and commercial cooperation between China and Cape Verde, the diplomat said.