Cape Verde wants to become a platform to help China conquer markets, the Cape Verdean minister for the Economy, Growth and Competition said in Macau Tuesday.

“China also has a strategy to conquer the markets and its is not a secret to anybody that it is interested in the African, European and American markets,” said José Brito. “Cape Verde is between the three continents and can offer China a commercial and economic base to help the country better conquer this area,” he added.

Brito, who was received by the head of the Macau government, Edmund Ho, was speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony to sign a protocol to twin Macau with the Cape Verdean capital, Praia, and said that his meeting with Ho had been “positive” because Cape Verde did not want a relationship with Macau that was purely based on trade.

“We have a common culture and past that we can develop and promote exchange of experiences in the tourism sector that could be of benefit to Cape Verde,” he said.

During his visit to China, Brito noted the “new stage” in the relationship between the two nations which would allow trade to increase. Trade between the countries is currently estimated to total US$10 million, but is in reality much higher as Cape Verde buys many Chinese products via European markets.

Source: Macauhub