At the invitation of Lesotho Foreign Minister Lejone Mpotjoana, Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister and senior Communist Party official, visited Maseru over the weekend. There he met Prime Minister Sam Matekane and discussed national development priorities with the head of Lesotho diplomacy.
In a joint statement, the two countries welcomed the progress made through China-Africa cooperation, which has helped modernize Lesotho in key sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, health and green energy. The Lesotho government also expressed its willingness to take full advantage of China's preferential treatment to expand trade and strengthen cooperation.
Speaking after the discussions in an interview with China Media Group, Minister Mpotjoana explained: The main reason for the minister's visit is to strengthen bilateral relations between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Lesotho. We are also working to improve our agricultural products. We received support for the construction of food storage and logistics facilities. We have received agricultural equipment and we will work on agricultural product consolidation centers as part of the next phase of our agricultural development. "
He added that the country intends to develop its water resources and develop renewable energies: We are also working on our programs related to water and energy, because Lesotho is the water tower of the South African region and we want to use our water resources to produce more electricity to supply the South African region. "
Once established, this bilateral cooperation will exempt Lesotho from certain customs duties by China, which will allow it to develop its exports and strengthen its economic cooperation.
For Maseru, this rapprochement with Beijing constitutes a strategic opportunity for economic diversification and consolidation of its partnerships, while its textile industry is suffering from recent developments in American trade policy.
