China investors eye Africa’s tiny island of Mauritius as it goes green and tries to sweeten trade deals
- Located in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar, Mauritius is looking to capitalise on its position as a gateway for Chinese to enter the African market, minister says
- Overseas energy investments by private Chinese companies fit into Beijing’s belt and road push, according to scholar
Chinese investors have begun shining a spotlight on a tiny island nation in East Africa known for a “special type of sugar”, but it’s not the vast plantations of Mauritius that have caught their eye.
Instead, they are sweet on cashing in on the country’s “ambitious target” of deriving at least 60 per cent of its energy from “green” sources by 2030, according to Mahen Kumar Seeruttun, minister of financial services and good governance for the island of 1.3 million people located around 1,000km (621 miles) east of Madagascar.
Solar-panel makers and other entrepreneurs in China’s renewable-energy sector have approached Mauritius about helping with the transition, Seeruttun said. China could also be more open to importing its unique sugar – and a popular sugar-based rum.
“We want to really encourage investors who are in that particular [green energy] space on how they can come invest in those areas,” Seeruttun told the Post at last week’s Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong.
“Solar energy is one thing that we are promoting, and of course, we need to see – [for] promoters who are interested – how we can facilitate their entry into the market.”
The government has said that goal will help it honour an international commitment to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
