São Tomé e Príncipe Prime Minister Jorge Bom Jesus, who took office in December, has said he will visit China to ask for money for his government to spend this year, STP-Press reports.

The São Tomé e Príncipe state-run news agency quotes Mr Bom Jesus as saying on Tuesday, after he presented the budget bill for this year to the president of the legislature, Delfim Santiago das Neves, that the government plans to spend US$150 million, about 76 percent of which will be foreign aid.

“We must continue to mobilise more donations,” said Mr Bom Jesus is quoted as saying, by focusing the country’s diplomacy on attracting financial support for the 2019 budget.

The prime minister sought money when he visited Angola recently and will ask for money during his forthcoming visits to China, Equatorial Guinea and other countries, STP-Press says.