Mozambique: Chapo says foreign visits are beginning to deliver results

“I wanted to take this opportunity to say that those trips the head of state has been taking, and which people say are too frequent, have produced results. The result is here,” Daniel Chapo said during the launch of construction works for the National Surgical Centre at Maputo Central Hospital, financed by China with an investment of US$42 million. The Mozambican President paid a state visit to China from 16 to 22 April at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

At the end of the visit, China reaffirmed its support for Chapo’s 2025-2044 development strategy and Mozambique’s 2025-2029 plan, both focused on poverty reduction, inclusive growth and structural development, while pledging to continue supporting the country’s industrialisation. Speaking today, the President said the project symbolises the implementation of agreements concluded between the Mozambican Government and China through diplomacy and the state visits he has undertaken since taking office. “We have already explained that no father can bring food home without leaving home.

He has to go out every day to work in order to put food on the table for his family. The head of state is also a father and must care for his people, and this is the result: improving the health of the Mozambican people,” Daniel Chapo said. “We are confident that this initiative will represent another milestone in the long history of cooperation between our two countries and peoples, particularly in the field of public health,” he said.

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READ:China’s President Xi Jinping receives Mozambique President Chapo in Beijing — Photos In addition to his visit to China, Chapo, who was sworn in as Mozambique’s fifth President on 15 January 2025, has already visited Portugal, the United States, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, Angola, Rwanda, Algeria, Ethiopia and South Africa, among other countries. China’s ambassador to Mozambique, Zheng Xuan, said during the launch ceremony, at which she noted that the project will be built by Chinese companies, that the two countries share a “deep friendship”. “Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Mozambique have supported each other on the basis of mutual trust, becoming an example of friendship and South-South cooperation,” she said.

Over the years, China has supported Mozambique’s health sector through training programmes for healthcare professionals and the supply of medical equipment. The ambassador pledged that Beijing would continue its efforts to support Mozambique. “This modern surgical centre, built with China’s assistance, will make a significant contribution to strengthening surgical capacity and healthcare services, giving fresh impetus to improvements in public health and the development of the health sector,” she said.

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