Culture Ministers from the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Seychelles met last week for bilateral talks. Vice Minister Ding Wei from the People’s Republic of China was in Seychelles for a two-day working visit which included the signing of an MOU for cooperation for a period of three years from 2016.

This was the first meeting between Minister Ding Wei and Minister Alain St.Ange, but in bilateral talks that followed the signing ceremony of the MOU, the two ministers said that they both appreciated the friendly ties that existed between their own ,inistries and between China and Seychelles. Minister Alain St.Ange had previously met the Chinese Minister for Culture when he visited China officialy, and it was at this meeting in Beijing that discussions took place in the need for a revised document for cooperation. Present at the bilateral talks that were held that the ESPACE Building offices of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture were Mr. Zhang Xiangyang, the Charge D’Affaire of the Embassy of China in Seychelles; Ms. Benjamine Rose, the Seychelles PS for Culture; as well as the delegation accompanying Minister Ding Wei.

“We are today happy that we have been able to agree on areas for future cooperation. China is an important partner of ours in the field of culture development as it is today a key source tourism market for our islands. Minister Ding Wei has invited me to plan a working visit to China to continue our discussions, and we can say today that we shall continue to follow on the all the points raised in our bilateral meeting,” said Minister Alain St.Ange.

As they ended their discussions, the Seychelles Minister asked Minister Ding Wei to pass on an invitation to his counterpart in China asking him to visit Seychelles in June when Seychelles and China will be marking 40 years of cooperation. During the bilateral talks, China has re-confirmed that they will be participating in the 2016 edition of the Carnaval International de Victoria and also announced that as from 2017, Seychelles will be listed as the 41st country where China celebrates its Spring Festival. In Seychelles, this will be tied with the annual celebration of the Seychelles-China Day celebrations.

Seychelles is a founding member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) . For more information on Seychelles Minister of Tourism and Culture Alain St.Ange, click here.