Libya urges China to hold joint economic Forum

The Minister of Economy and Trade of the Government of National Unity (GNU) based in Tripoli, one of Libya’s two rival Governments, Wednesday November 29 called on China to hold a joint economic Forum that would include business owners and companies from the two countries, in addition to an exhibition of Chinese industries and products in the North African country, ‘Libya Observer’ reports.
Mohammed Al-Huweij proposed the idea during a meeting with Liu Jian, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Libya, in the presence of a number of ministry officials, the media notes.
The GNU official reportedly invited major Chinese companies to enter the Libyan market, invest in strategic projects, and build bridges of communication with the African market by designing and building international roads to the African market, as well as establishing free and special economic zones.
Al-Huweij also argued that the Libyan government was looking forward to benefiting from industrial technology in the renewable energy sector, and providing energy reserves directed toward the European market. He also sent an invitation to the Chinese Minister of Commerce to visit Libya with an economic and trade delegation to discuss establishing strategic cooperation in areas of common interest.
The Chinese diplomat on the other hand expressed the desire of major Chinese companies to enter the Libyan market, hailing the existing bilateral cooperation, and stressing that they had been working to develop the cooperation to serve the interests of both countries.
In a separate meeting with GNU Minister of Transport Mohammed Shahoubi in Tripoli, Jian indicated that the Asian country is ready to finish the stalled projects in the transportation sector, which they had long contracted for.
The projects commenced before the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi. The GNU is backed by Turkey, Qatar and several western countries. It is being rivaled by another administration in the East and appointed by the country’s only State legislature House of Representatives (HoR).