China and Seychelles celebrate 40 years of diplomatic ties |05 July 2016

China and Seychelles have just celebrated 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between them.

To mark the occasion, a reception was organised on June 29 by the embassy of Seychelles in Beijing with the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC).

China was one of the first countries to formally establish diplomatic ties with Seychelles following independence.

In fact, the occasion also coincided with the 40th anniversary of Seychelles’ Independence from Great Britain.

As guests of honour from the Chinese and Seychelles sides at the reception were Zhou Xiaochuan, vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, secretary of state in the Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs, respectively.

Mr Zhou is also the governor of the People’s Bank of China (Central Bank of China).

When addressing the 200 guests including Chinese government officials, representatives of the diplomatic community in Beijing, Seychellois students in Beijing and various business representatives, Vivianne Fock Tave, Seychelles’ ambassador based in Beijing, highlighted that when Seychelles took the brave step in embracing independence 40 years ago, it was to be the dawn of a new era, full of hope and the enthusiasm of a people to build a prosperous and unified nation for themselves.

“National Day celebration is a time for all of us, as a nation, to unite and to celebrate everything that makes us what we are. It is a time to renew our personal vows to our country, to double our contributions for its progress and prosperity. It is also a period for reflection, a time of thanksgiving and a time of hope. We have been blessed in more ways than one in our small corner of the world and we should all be thankful for that. So let us keep our beloved Seychelles blessed for our future generations,” remarked the Seychelles ambassador.

Ambassador Fock Tave also reiterated the sincere appreciation of the government and the people of Seychelles for all the valuable support and help that China has provided to the development of Seychelles.

“The socio-economic development of Seychelles would not have been possible without the assistance of our key international partners and China’s role, as a bilateral partner, has been of paramount importance for our development as a nation. China is Seychelles’ true partner and steadfast friend and this feeling is strongly and warmly reciprocated by Seychelles and its people,” added Ambassador Fock Tave.

Lin Yi, the vice-president of the CPAFFC, pointed out that as a real friend of Seychelles, China has always stood by Seychelles in its endeavour to develop the country’s economy and improve the livelihood of the Seychellois people.

“In the past 40 years, China and Seychelles, through their joint efforts, have maintained a healthy and fast-growing relationship, which could be regarded as a model for all countries, big or small,” remarked Ms Lin.

She added that the presence of Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne to the celebration demonstrates the great attention and importance that the Seychelles government pays to the bilateral relations of the two countries.

The CPAFFC is a national people’s organisation of China engaged in people-to people diplomacy. The aims of the association are to enhance people’s friendship and further international cooperation, among others.

During the reception, Ambassador Loustau-Lalanne presented a coco-de-mer to Mr Zhou. The Chinese side presented a commemorative envelope to Ambassador Loustau-Lalanne, honouring the long-standing ties of friendship and excellent bilateral relations between the