Yohei Kanasashi | AFP | Getty Images
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shows the way to Sao Tome’s Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada ahead of their meeting at the Great Hall of People in Beijing on April 14, 2017.
According to the state-run news agency, Botelho said that Chinese companies are welcome to contribute to improving Sao Tome and Principe’s infrastructure and cooperate further in areas such as agriculture and fishing.
Sao Tome and Principe is a former Portuguese colony, covering approximately 1,000 square kilometers in total. According to the World Bank, the archipelago has “no single economic activity that serves as a driver for growth.”
China’s relationship with Sao Tome and Principe is relatively young. Ortolani told CNBC: “In April 2017, the two countries signed a first five-year co-operation agreement relating to areas including infrastructure, technology, student scholarships and medical assistance.”
This followed Sao Tome and Principe’s ditching of ties with Taiwan in December 2016. Such a move is required by China, as part of its One China Policy, to enable diplomacy with Beijing.
Daniel de Blocq van Scheltinga, managing partner at Hong Kong-based advisory Polarwide, told CNBC via email that Wang’s visit was focused on the West Africa region due to “geopolitics and oil.” Wang has been in OPEC member Angola as well as Gabon in the past week, a marked change from China’s previous focus on East Africa.
