China’s outgoing ambassador to Mozambique, Li Chunhua, stressed China and Mozambique should strengthen industrial co-operation to “create mutual benefits”, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.

“We will strengthen co-operation in the industrial area,” he said last week after meeting with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi. It was Mr Li’s final meeting with the head of state before concluding his diplomatic posting there.

“Mozambique has excellent conditions to accelerate its industrial sector while China has technological capability [to enable such] co-operation,” he added. It is the second time in under than a month that Mr Li has made such remarks.

Recapping his work in the African nation, he said: “I am pleased with the progress of relations between [China] and the Republic of Mozambique in recent years: co-operation in various fields has widened and deepened [and] we have had many successes.”

Earlier this month, the two nations signed a new three-year general co-operation agreement concerning economics, technology and commerce.

Mozambican news agency AIM has reported that one of the goals for both sides is that Chinese investments in the African nation would total over US$5 billion in the next three years.