Malawi's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo (R) and Chinese ambassador to Malawi Liu Hongyang pose for photos after a signing ceremony in Lilongwe, Malawi, March 23, 2022. Malawi signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation on Wednesday in Lilongwe, becoming the latest country to join the multinational project. (Chinese Embassy in Malawi/Handout via Xinhua)

LILONGWE, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Malawi signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation on Wednesday in Lilongwe, becoming the latest country to join the multinational project. At the signing ceremony, Malawi's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo pointed out that joining the BRI will provide new impetus for cooperation between the two countries. She calls for more bilateral cooperation in poverty reduction, agriculture, infrastructure, health care and other fields. "Malawi Government remains committed to strengthening its relations with the People's Republic of China at both bilateral and multilateral levels on matters of shared interests," said the minister. Chinese ambassador to Malawi Liu Hongyang said China stands ready to link the BRI with Malawi's 2063 Vision, and contribute to Malawi's building of an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation. Over 170 countries and international organizations have so far signed BRI cooperation agreements with China. Tembo applauded Liu's contributions to the development of China-Malawi ties since his appointment in August 2018. She hailed the Chinese envoy for facilitating several infrastructural projects in Malawi through grants and concessional loans during his tenure of office. She listed some of the key infrastructural projects including the Lilongwe Water Program worth 67.7 million U.S. dollars concessional loan, the construction of a dual carriageway in Lilongwe worth 50 million dollars grant and a 15 million dollars grant for the construction of 5 community technical colleges in the country. "Ambassador Liu has contributed greatly to the Malawi-China relationship since his appointment in 2018," Tembo said.