When Cape Verdean and Chinese officials talk about building stronger ties, they can be taken, quite literally, at their word. China has to date supplied the islands with their main government building, their parliament, a national library, a conference hall, housing developments, a national monument, an auditorium and the country’s first dam.
Victor Borges, the foreign minister, visited China in May to put Cape Verde forward as a candidate for one of a handful of “special economic areas” Beijing plans to set up in Africa as regional distribution platforms for Chinese goods. The island of São Vicente, which has a tax-free zone and a deepwater port, is seen as the most likely location.
