On Monday, Cameroon‘s Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute visited the site of the country’s new National Assembly building, a China-funded project that is now under construction, and praised the outstanding ties between Cameroon and China.
“We visited the construction site and we are very happy with the evolution of work. It is a beautiful architectural work and we should be proud of it,” Ngute told reporters after visiting the site.
“It is clear proof that the relations between China and Cameroon are at a very high level. You saw for yourself what is happening here. It depicts the excellent relations between our two countries.”
According to officials, the project’s 14-floor building and 400-seat hemicycle construction started in late 2019.
Since 1971, China and Cameroon have developed close defense and political connections. Previously, these links were mostly symbolic.
The People’s Republic of China and Cameroon established diplomatic ties in March of that year. The beginning of connections was advantageous to both nations.
China committed to ending its assistance for the Marxist guerrilla organization known as the Union of the People’s Congress (UPC), which had been conducting an uprising against the Cameroonian government. Cameroon would cut connections with the Republic of China (ROC), also known as Taiwan, and recognize the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The first African head of state to visit China after the most violent parts of the cultural revolution was Ahmadu Ahidjo, the first president of Cameroon, who went to China in 1973 to meet with Mao Zedong.
Four years later, Ahidjo went back to Beijing to meet Hua Guofeng, Mao’s successor.
Cooperation between China and Cameroon at this time primarily centered on high profile projects, particularly those involving infrastructure and governmental buildings.
China’s exports to Cameroon have grown over the past 25 years at a yearly rate of 21.8 percent, from $14.5 Million in 1995 to $2.02 Billion in 2020.