Chinese Ambassador to Mozambique Su Jian has said closer cooperation by China and Mozambique will create more opportunities for Mozambicans to do high-value jobs, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese government-run news agency quotes Mr Su as saying at a ceremony in Maputo on Friday that Mozambican cooperation with the Chinese Belt and Road initiative will mean greater demand for workers bilingual in Chinese and Portuguese, who are well rewarded for their skill.

The report says Mr Su was speaking at the ceremonial awarding of Chinese-endowed scholarships to 12 Mozambicans, all studying Chinese language and culture at the Confucius Institute in Eduardo Mondlane University.

The ambassador expressed hope that the annual scholarships will inspire more Mozambicans to learn Chinese and so enhance the friendship between Chinese and Mozambicans, Xinhua says.