The Chinese Embassy to Sao Tome and Principe was re-inaugurated on Monday in Sao Tome, the capital city of the second smallest African country. Around 200 guests attended the ceremony, including the Foreign Minister Urbino Botelho, Minister of Finance Américo Ramos, Minister of Infrastructures Carlos Vila Nova, Minister of Education Olinto Daio, diplomatic envoys and representatives of Chinese companies.
The charge d’affaires of the Chinese embassy Wang Wei and the foreign of STP Urbino Botelho unveiled the plate together, and gave speeches at the ceremony.
Wang addressed that China and Sao Tome and Principe will join hands for a brighter future, and the cooperation of the two countries will become a new model of China-Africa relations.
Wang said “The restoration of the foreign relations of China and Sao Tome and Principe not only serves the fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries and the two people, is also in line with the trend of China-Africa friendship and conductive to the unity and cooperation of developing countries.
The Chinese government attaches importance to the development of relations with Sao Tome and Principe.
China is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation in various areas with Sao Tome and Principe on the basis of one China principle and mutual respect for equality and mutual benefit.
China will try its best to support STP’s economic and social development. China will help STP improve the ability of independent and sustainable development. China will help STP improve people’s livelihood and welfare, so that re-established diplomatic relations will benefit the two peoples.”
The foreign minister Urbino Botelho congratulated the reopening of Chinese embassy to STP, and said STP will set up an embassy in Beijing soon.
Botelho said “it’s an honor for STP to join the countries that have diplomatic ties with China. It’s an honor for STP to join the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation(FOCAC) and the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao).”
Sao Tome and Principe and the People’s Republic of China established diplomatic relations in 1975, but the relations got suspended in 1997 after Sao Tome and Principe Government and the Taiwan authorities signed a joint communiqué on the establishment of the so-called diplomatic relations.
The suspension lasted for nearly 20 years, and thus the Chinese embassy building also got shut down.
Since 2013, the embassy building has functioned as representation of Liaison of China in Sao Tome and Principe, and reopened on Monday morning as the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.
The two countries re-established diplomatic relations on 26th December 2016 after the archipelago cut its so called diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognized one China principle.
The re-inauguration of the Chinese embassy marks a new era for the cooperation of the two countries.
