Mzee Mwanakijiji
Platinum Member
- Mar 10, 2006
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DAR ES SALAAM (AFP) Chinese President Hu Jintao signed cooperation agreements with Tanzania worth more than 20 million dollars Sunday, covering agriculture, communications and technical cooperation.
The deals totaling 21.9 million dollars (17 million euros) were finalised after talks between Hu and his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaye Kikwete.
"It has been a great visit," said Kikwete, hailing the friendly ties between the two countries.
"China and Tanzania share a common position on many issues, particularly on global peace and development issues.
"We all want an early conclusion of the Doha Round of the WTO talks, which we regard as beneficial to most developing countries," he added in a reference to the World Trade Organization talks towards a new global free trade pact.
"At this period of global financial crisis Tanzania and many other developing countries look at China as a partner in solving our problems. It is our hope that China will be on our side."
Hu said that China had been "impressed by Tanzania's role in the search for peace and conflict resolution in neighbouring countries and throughout Africa," particularly during Kikwete's time as chairman of the African Union.
"China will continue working closely with Tanzania on many areas," he said.
Hu arrived here late Saturday on the third stop of a whirlwind African tour that has taken him to Mali and Senegal and that finishes on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius on Tuesday.
His official welcoming ceremony included a parade, while he saluted in a statement 45 years of "exemplary" ties with Tanzania.
Chief among the newly signed deals was a 17.5-million-dollar (13.6-million-euro) agricultural agreement. It was particularly important for Tanzania, where 80 percent of the population depends on farming.
"The funds will largely be used to finance investments in agriculture, especially providing loans to importers of agricultural machinery," Tanzanian presidential spokesman Salva Rweyemanu said.
China also inked a 4.4-million-dollar agreement to rehabilitate the state radio and television channels in the island of Zanzibar; and another to send Chinese volunteers to Tanzania to work in various fields including health.
Hu later inaugurated a 56-million-dollar, 60,000-seat sports complex, financed mostly by the Chinese government.
After their talks Kikwete also made it clear that Tanzania supported Beijing's one China policy and thanked Hu for China's continued economic support.
Beijing's One China policy is its view that Taiwan is a breakaway territory awaiting reunification. China has waged a diplomatic offensive to persuade other countries to withdraw their ambassadors from Taipei.
A Chinese embassy statement issued earlier quoted the president as praising the "sound and smooth way" the bilateral relationship had developed since ties were established in 1964.
"It can be viewed as an exemplary relationship of sincerity, solidarity and cooperation between China and an African country and between two developing countries," Hu said.
China is one of the top 10 investors in Tanzania, according to official figures. Trade between the two countries was worth 794 million dollars in 2007, 48.2 percent up on 2006.
My Take:
Thank you Mr. Jintao! Let me put this 21.9 in perspective:
a. The money stolen from the Bank of Tanzania (EPA account) in one year totaled 133 Million USD. Your AID is six (6) times less than what we were able to afford to lose. Which renders it irrelevant!
b. We bought a dual use radar from UK for about 40 Millions USD. Of that amount, 21Mil USD was diverted to Shaileth Vithlani (the dealer and broker) some of which ended in corrupt officials' pockets. Among them supposedly are Andrew Chenge (Former AG) and Dr. Idriss Rashid (former Bank Governor). This means, the amount of aid your country this morning could as well been easily given to Vithlani and his crook politician friends without causing any dent to our national economy or cause an outrage. Which still renders your aid irrelevant.
c. Our leaders bought a Gulfstream 550 for about 50 million USD. So, we we could afford to buy such a plane at that price, we could have well afford to get some 22 Mil. USD somewhere!
d. Of the money stolen from EPA account we were told that 70 Mil. USD was returned by the thieves and last week en directed towards agriculture. That amount is almost 3 times the money you gave us in aid at a fanfare with President Kikwete.
e. We are currently planning to carryout a new ID project for about 200 million USD. That amount is 9 times your aid today. If we can budget the use of such an amount of money without thinking of the cost, we might as well just get some 22 million USD from somewhere!
f. Last year when President Bush came to Tanzania he signed the biggest single foreign aid in the country worthy 978 Million USD. That is 44 times the amount you gave today.
What I am trying to say in such a hurry is that; we really didn't need your 22 million USD. You could as well just come and open the new stadium, walk around and fly back home! Mchango wako wa aid ni tusi kwetu lakini pia ni ushahidi wa fikra za kuombaomba!
My point is this, If we wanted we could as well built our own modern stadium - we have the money (remember it cost about 50 million USD). As a matter of fact we could have built a New Kirumba Stadium and and a new Jamhuri Stadium (We can pick either the one in Moro or the one in Tabora) as well as a modern Majimaji Stadium. And If we really felt like it we could have upgraded Mkwakwani as well as Amani Stadium (either one.. the Arusha one or the one in Zanzibar).
In short.. thanks for your kindness but no thank you!
The deals totaling 21.9 million dollars (17 million euros) were finalised after talks between Hu and his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaye Kikwete.
"It has been a great visit," said Kikwete, hailing the friendly ties between the two countries.
"China and Tanzania share a common position on many issues, particularly on global peace and development issues.
"We all want an early conclusion of the Doha Round of the WTO talks, which we regard as beneficial to most developing countries," he added in a reference to the World Trade Organization talks towards a new global free trade pact.
"At this period of global financial crisis Tanzania and many other developing countries look at China as a partner in solving our problems. It is our hope that China will be on our side."
Hu said that China had been "impressed by Tanzania's role in the search for peace and conflict resolution in neighbouring countries and throughout Africa," particularly during Kikwete's time as chairman of the African Union.
"China will continue working closely with Tanzania on many areas," he said.
Hu arrived here late Saturday on the third stop of a whirlwind African tour that has taken him to Mali and Senegal and that finishes on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius on Tuesday.
His official welcoming ceremony included a parade, while he saluted in a statement 45 years of "exemplary" ties with Tanzania.
Chief among the newly signed deals was a 17.5-million-dollar (13.6-million-euro) agricultural agreement. It was particularly important for Tanzania, where 80 percent of the population depends on farming.
"The funds will largely be used to finance investments in agriculture, especially providing loans to importers of agricultural machinery," Tanzanian presidential spokesman Salva Rweyemanu said.
China also inked a 4.4-million-dollar agreement to rehabilitate the state radio and television channels in the island of Zanzibar; and another to send Chinese volunteers to Tanzania to work in various fields including health.
Hu later inaugurated a 56-million-dollar, 60,000-seat sports complex, financed mostly by the Chinese government.
After their talks Kikwete also made it clear that Tanzania supported Beijing's one China policy and thanked Hu for China's continued economic support.
Beijing's One China policy is its view that Taiwan is a breakaway territory awaiting reunification. China has waged a diplomatic offensive to persuade other countries to withdraw their ambassadors from Taipei.
A Chinese embassy statement issued earlier quoted the president as praising the "sound and smooth way" the bilateral relationship had developed since ties were established in 1964.
"It can be viewed as an exemplary relationship of sincerity, solidarity and cooperation between China and an African country and between two developing countries," Hu said.
China is one of the top 10 investors in Tanzania, according to official figures. Trade between the two countries was worth 794 million dollars in 2007, 48.2 percent up on 2006.
My Take:
Thank you Mr. Jintao! Let me put this 21.9 in perspective:
a. The money stolen from the Bank of Tanzania (EPA account) in one year totaled 133 Million USD. Your AID is six (6) times less than what we were able to afford to lose. Which renders it irrelevant!
b. We bought a dual use radar from UK for about 40 Millions USD. Of that amount, 21Mil USD was diverted to Shaileth Vithlani (the dealer and broker) some of which ended in corrupt officials' pockets. Among them supposedly are Andrew Chenge (Former AG) and Dr. Idriss Rashid (former Bank Governor). This means, the amount of aid your country this morning could as well been easily given to Vithlani and his crook politician friends without causing any dent to our national economy or cause an outrage. Which still renders your aid irrelevant.
c. Our leaders bought a Gulfstream 550 for about 50 million USD. So, we we could afford to buy such a plane at that price, we could have well afford to get some 22 Mil. USD somewhere!
d. Of the money stolen from EPA account we were told that 70 Mil. USD was returned by the thieves and last week en directed towards agriculture. That amount is almost 3 times the money you gave us in aid at a fanfare with President Kikwete.
e. We are currently planning to carryout a new ID project for about 200 million USD. That amount is 9 times your aid today. If we can budget the use of such an amount of money without thinking of the cost, we might as well just get some 22 million USD from somewhere!
f. Last year when President Bush came to Tanzania he signed the biggest single foreign aid in the country worthy 978 Million USD. That is 44 times the amount you gave today.
What I am trying to say in such a hurry is that; we really didn't need your 22 million USD. You could as well just come and open the new stadium, walk around and fly back home! Mchango wako wa aid ni tusi kwetu lakini pia ni ushahidi wa fikra za kuombaomba!
My point is this, If we wanted we could as well built our own modern stadium - we have the money (remember it cost about 50 million USD). As a matter of fact we could have built a New Kirumba Stadium and and a new Jamhuri Stadium (We can pick either the one in Moro or the one in Tabora) as well as a modern Majimaji Stadium. And If we really felt like it we could have upgraded Mkwakwani as well as Amani Stadium (either one.. the Arusha one or the one in Zanzibar).
In short.. thanks for your kindness but no thank you!