Beijing — Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano arrived in China on Sunday, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, for the start of a six day visit.

Speaking to reporters in Maputo on Saturday, before his departure, Chissano said that China has shown "an unequivocal interest" in continuing to assist Mozambique's development.

That interest had been shown through large scale Chinese investment in Mozambique, and Chinese offers of loans at favourable interest rates.

Chissano said that during the visit Mozambican and Chinese delegations would assess and strengthen relations of friendship and bilateral cooperation between the two governments and peoples. They would also exchange points of view on the international situation.

Chissano is the current chairperson of the African Union, so he will certainly expect to discuss Africa's problems in detail with his Chinese hosts.

He said that his visit would be an opportunity to verify what China intends to do as regards the development of Africa, following the Sino-African conference held last year in Addis Ababa. Cooperation with China dates back to the days of Chinese military assistance for Frelimo's guerrilla army during the war for Mozambique's independence from Portuguese colonial rule.

Since independence China has sent technical staff to assist in several areas, including agriculture and health. In recent years China has financed major building projects, including the construction of the new Maputo Conference Centre (used for the first time at last year's second heads of state summit of the AU), a new military quarter in the capital, a new building for the Foreign Ministry, and the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Mozambican parliament.