VICTORIA, Seychelles — Chinese Ambassador to Seychelles, Lin Nan, paid a courtesy call on National Assembly speaker Roger Mancienne last Friday. The latter was accompanied by deputy speaker, Gervais Henrie, and deputy clerk to the National Assembly, Alexandra Faure. The meeting was the ambassador’s first formal engagement with the new speaker since Lin Nan took up her post, and was held in the speaker’s office at the National Assembly building in Victoria.
Ambassador Lin thanked the speaker for the opportunity to meet, noting that she was honoured to serve as the 14th ambassador to Seychelles and looked forward to strengthening the close relationship between the two countries. A principal goal during her mandate is the improvement of people-to-people relations, aimed at increasing the levels of understanding and mutual respect between all citizens of China and Seychelles. The emphasis on people-to-people ties is consistent with the wider framing of the China-Seychelles relationship that the embassy has promoted in recent years.
Ambassador Lin also detailed the aid provided as an emergency response by the Chinese embassy following the December 7 disaster, which included support to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, and recruitment of Chinese engineers to help in the assessment and rebuilding processes. She also discussed the goal of expanding the opportunities for cooperation and development through new projects, with emphasis on issues such as social housing, capacity building, and environmentally friendly advances. The discussion of new projects built on the existing portfolio of cooperation, which has grown steadily over the past decade across infrastructure, fisheries and education.
Speaker Mancienne thanked the ambassador, duly noting the remarkable quick response provided by the Chinese embassy in such a tumultuous time and expressing his sincere appreciation for such efforts. With regard to new projects and areas of collaboration, the speaker noted the need for legislative cooperation and maintaining a positive and fruitful relationship. Speaker Mancienne echoed the ambassador’s statement on the long-standing Seychelles-China bilateral cooperation, which is an excellent model of friendship regardless of the two countries’ size.
The values of democracy, social protection, and economic growth remain areas of mutual importance. Speaker Mancienne concluded the meeting by presenting Ambassador Lin Nan with a token of appreciation. The courtesy call lasted just under an hour, and the speaker and ambassador agreed to meet again in the coming months to follow up on the projects and initiatives that were discussed. The meeting reflects a continued warmth in the bilateral relationship, and signals that the new ambassador intends to maintain an active engagement with all branches of the Seychelles government during her tenure.
