Passing of former President of the People’s Republic of China, Jiang Zemin |01 December 2022
President Ramkalawan sends condolences to President Xi Jinping
President Wavel Ramkalawan has sent a message of condolence to his Chinese counterpart, His Excellency Mr Xi Jinping, following the sad demise of His Excellency Mr Jiang Zemin, former President of the People’s Republic of China.
President Ramkalawan’s message reads: “On behalf of the government and people of the Republic of Seychelles, I extend my deepest condolences to the family of Mr Jiang Zemin, the government and people of the People’s Republic of China on the passing of the former President and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China.
“Mr Jiang Zemin became China’s paramount leader during a challenging period in the history of the People’s Republic of China, and he successfully led China through a time of rapid economic and social change. Under his leadership in the early 1990s, China experienced dramatic economic development as it implemented the policy of reforming and opening up, improving the lives of millions of Chinese people and setting the pace for the huge success of what we now have come to term as the ‘Great Chinese Economic Miracle’.
“Under his Presidency, the Seychelles-China diplomatic relations enhanced considerably in the 1990s, with friendship and cooperation established as the core pillars of our relationship. Under his leadership, Seychelles benefited from cooperation with China in many areas, ranging from infrastructure development to culture and education. He also witnessed key milestones in our bilateral relations, with the signing of several agreements which have guided our cooperation since.
“Mr Jiang also played an important role in strengthening relations and cooperation between Africa and China. Under Mr Jiang’s leadership, China established the Foreign Aid Fund in 1993 as well as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000. This laid the ground for the close cooperation between Africa and China today, which has benefitted millions of Africans by providing much-needed developmental aid.
“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr Jiang Zemin and the people of China during this period of grief.”
Press release from the department of Foreign Affairs