At the invitation of Lesotho's Foreign Minister, Lejone Mpotjoana, Chinese Foreign Minister and senior Communist Party official Wang Yi visited Maseru this weekend. There, he met with Prime Minister Sam Matekane and discussed national development priorities with the Lesotho foreign minister.
In a joint statement, the two countries welcomed the progress achieved 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 fully leverage the preferential treatment granted by China to develop 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 have received assistance for the construction of food storage and logistics facilities. We have received agricultural equipment, and we will be working on agricultural product consolidation centers as part of the next phase of our agricultural development.”
He added that the country intended to develop its water resources and renewable energy: "We are also working on our water and energy programs, as 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 finalized, this bilateral cooperation will exempt Lesotho from certain customs duties by China, enabling it to develop its exports and strengthen its economic cooperation.
For Maseru, this rapprochement with Beijing represents a strategic opportunity for economic diversification and consolidation of its partnerships, at a time when its textile industry is suffering from recent developments in American trade policy.
