Cooperation between Côte d'Ivoire and China

The cooperation between Côte d'Ivoire and China is highly dynamic, marked by numerous actions and agreements.

I.1 Economic and Financial Cooperation

Several agreements and conventions have been signed between the two countries:

• Grant Agreement: A non-repayable grant of 25 billion FCFA for financing agricultural projects and constructing a hospital, signed on March 15, 2018, in Abidjan. Another grant of 200 million FCFA was provided to equip the National Malaria Control Center.
• Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments Agreement: Signed in 2002 but not yet ratified.
• Framework Agreement on Economic, Trade, Industrial, and Technical Cooperation: Signed on December 8, 1988, in Tianjin, between the "Club des hommes d’affaires du Centre de Commerce International" of Abidjan and the "China Tianjin International Economic and Technical Cooperative Corporation" of Tianjin.
• Trade Agreement: Signed on July 8, 1996, during the Ivorian Prime Minister's visit to China, replacing the 1984 agreement.
• Agricultural Development Cooperation Agreement: Signed on December 14, 1984, in Abidjan.
• First Trade Agreement: Signed on December 12, 1984, in Abidjan and ratified on September 12, 1985. This agreement was later abrogated and replaced by the new trade agreement signed on July 8, 1996.
• Partial Debt Cancellation Agreements: Two agreements signed in May 2011, canceling 17.6 billion FCFA of debt between the Ivorian and Chinese governments.

In recent years, economic cooperation was highlighted by the organization of the second Joint Economic Commission between China and Côte d'Ivoire in Abidjan in May 2013. This meeting led to the development of eleven projects in areas including civil security, training, mining, oil and energy, culture, ICT, social issues, and health.

In terms of financial cooperation, Côte d'Ivoire has received over 1,529.2 billion FCFA from China since 2010 for various development projects. These funds consist of 1,477.7 billion FCFA in loans (96.6%) and 51.3 billion FCFA in grants (3.4%). The funding sources include China Eximbank (1,370.9 billion FCFA, 89.6%), the Chinese Government (119 billion FCFA, 7.8%), and Huawei Tech (39.4 billion FCFA, 2.6%).

The loan agreements between Côte d'Ivoire and the People's Republic of China have funded the following major projects:

• Water supply to Abidjan from Bonoua (49.73 billion FCFA)
• Construction of "Résidences Concordes" by SICOGI (31.25 billion FCFA)
• Government electronic network (15 billion FCFA)
• Rehabilitation and renovation of the Abidjan Palace of Culture (14.33 billion FCFA)
• Expansion of Anyama College (7 billion FCFA)
• Rehabilitation of the Abidjan Plateau ministerial block, phase 2 (5.44 billion FCFA)
• Construction of the Abidjan-Bassam highway (54.66 billion FCFA)
• Soubré Hydro-Electric Development (250 billion FCFA)
• Expansion and modernization of the Autonomous Port of Abidjan (396.965 billion FCFA)
• Construction of the Olympic Stadium in Ebimpé (63 billion FCFA)
• Phase II of potable water supply to Abidjan (51.94 billion FCFA)
• Rural telephony-fiber optics (21.63 billion FCFA)
• Rural telephony – CDMA (17.8 billion FCFA)
• Paving of the Odienné-Gbeleban axis (37.7 billion FCFA)
• Rehabilitation and development of the electricity network in Côte d'Ivoire and implementation of the unified and open video protection platform for the city of Abidjan (32.9 billion FCFA)
• Grand Bassam Excellence High School (13.4 billion FCFA)
• Construction of Agboville-Rubino-Cechy and Odienné-Gbeleban roads (68.9 billion FCFA)
• Construction of the Tiébissou-Bouaké Highway (157.8 billion FCFA)

During the state visit of President Alassane Ouattara to China in August 2018, a total of 18 agreements were signed amounting to 3.4 billion USD (1,900 billion FCFA). These agreements cover the provision of electricity to the population, access to education in rural areas through communication technologies, the establishment of industrial parks in Abidjan and other regions, road construction including the Tiébissou-Bouaké highway, increased potable water supply, and the construction of hospitals including a university hospital in Abobo.

I.2 Technical Cooperation

Several agreements have been signed, including:

• Creation of a Chinese Investment, Exploitation, and Trade Center: Signed on July 8, 1996, during the Ivorian Prime Minister's visit to China.
• Inter-University Agreement: Between Nanjing University and the National University of Côte d'Ivoire, signed on December 1, 1992.
• Sister City Agreement: Established in 1992 between Abidjan and Tianjin, and between Abengourou and Ezhu (Hebei Province).
• Cultural Cooperation Agreement: Signed in April 1992 in Abidjan.
• Higher Education Cooperation Agreement: Signed in December 1991 in Abidjan.
• Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agreement: Signed in Abidjan on September 15, 1988.