13 Oct 2026

President Advocate Duma Boko says Botswana wants to emulate the rapid development model, which China used to transform itself into a global economic powerhouse.

During official talks with his counterpart, President Xi Jinping of China in Beijing yesterday, President Boko said China had championed a path of growth and rapid development that had seen the country evolve into a very well-developed nation.

“That example is what I would like to emulate," he said.

Further, he applauded China for having lifted over 800 million people out of poverty in less than four decades.

"China has performed an economic and political miracle never seen in history and to uplift from conditions of poverty and famine a whole population of over 800 million, and to do that in a space of less than four decades is nothing short of miraculous and this we can only applaud and appreciate," he said.

He also commended the visionary leadership that China has had since its founding.

He said since the founding of the People's Republic of China in October 1 in 1949, China had enjoyed sound and solid leadership that had been instrumental in driving the country’s transformation story.

President Boko also hailed the excellent relations between Botswana and China, saying the long-standing relations were something that the former attached great importance to.

For his part, President Xi said Botswana and China, whose friendship dated back to the 1970s before the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1975, were now writing a new chapter in their relations.

President Xi said both countries should therefore stride ahead in the new era and elevate their cooperation in order to achieve modernisation and shared prosperity for their people.

President Boko is in China on a state visit at the invitation of President Xi.

The visit also included a benchmarking tour of Project 3820 in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, which is key to Botswana's plan to establish an e-mobility hub in the Serorome Valley.

The high point of President Boko's visit involves the formal signing of Memoranda of Understanding in various sectors and the hosting of the Botswana-China Business Forum, which has attracted 30 Botswana companies and over 100 Chinese companies. ENDS