Luanda — The Speaker of the Angolan National Assembly (parliament), Adão de Almeida, projected on Tuesday (15) in Shanghai greater fluidity and regularity in parliamentary cooperation between Angola and the People's Republic of China, following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two legislative bodies.
In statements at the end of the working day of his official visit to the People's Republic of China, which began on the 11th of the current month, Adão de Almeida considered the memorandum an important legal instrument to formalize and establish the basis for cooperation between the National Assembly of Angola and the National People's Congress of China.
According to the Angolan parliamentary leader, the instrument should make it possible to elevate interparliamentary cooperation to a new level through closer ties between the two parliaments, regular exchanges of visits and experiences, and political consultations on matters of common interest.
Adão de Almeida recalled that relations between Angola and China reached the level of a global strategic cooperative partnership in 2024, by determination of Presidents João Lourenço and Xi Jinping, and, therefore, considered it necessary that this dynamic also be reflected in the parliamentary domain.
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"One particular domain that should also deserve this boost, to accompany this dynamic, is the legislative one between the two parliaments", he stressed.
The National Assembly Speaker noted that parliamentary cooperation will allow the two legislative bodies to monitor the evolution of relations between the two States more directly and dynamically, contributing to the realization of the objectives defined within the framework of bilateral cooperation.
Among his expectations, he also pointed to the strengthening of exchanges between specialized committees and parliamentary friendship groups, enabling the sharing of experiences in areas such as health, education, legislation, oversight of government action, and citizen representation.
"This interaction can happen at the level of specialized working committees or via friendship groups," he explained, adding that the National Assembly intends to revitalize the Angola-China friendship group.
Chinese Experience
During the visit, the Angolan parliamentary delegation came into contact with different experiences of development and citizen participation in decision-making processes, with the National Assembly Speaker considering the observed experience positive.
Adão de Almeida particularly highlighted the popular participation mechanisms existing at different levels of administration, from the municipality to the province and at the national level, as well as the processes for consulting citizens in the drafting of laws.
He considered that each State must build a model suited to the respective realities, stressing that the Chinese experience presents results that justify the interest in better understanding its operating mechanisms.
The delegation visited, among other places, the Gubei Community Center, the Grassroots Legislative Contact Point of the Hongqiao Subdistrict, and the Research and Practice Base of the People's Democratic Process of the Shanghai People's Congress.
In Shanghai, the entourage also maintained contacts with officials from the Municipal Assembly and visited Huawei's Research and Development Center.
Experiences for Development
During the visit, the Angolan parliamentary delegation also learned about Chinese experiences in sectors considered strategic for development, with a highlight on scientific and technological innovation, digital transition, the pharmaceutical industry, food production, nutrition, and sustainability.
Among the locations visited were the Party School of the Hebei Provincial Committee, the Shiyao Pharmaceutical Group (CSPC), the Junlebao milk powder factory and the Junlebao Science and Nutrition Institute, Yan'nandi Park, and China Mobile's Intelligent Scientific and Technological Innovation Center in the city of Xiong'an.
The delegation also participated in a master class at China University of Petroleum in Beijing and maintained contacts with various Chinese political and legislative entities.
For Adão de Almeida, these experiences make it possible to identify areas of cooperation and draw lessons that can help accelerate the response to common challenges.
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In this context, he noted that issues such as poverty combat, environmental sustainability, climate change, industrialization, development financing, digitalization, energy transition, and global connectivity are aligned with Angola's development perspectives.
The official visit of the Angolan parliamentary delegation to the People's Republic of China began on Sept 11 and is part of the framework of strengthening friendship and cooperation relations between the two countries.
In addition to parliamentary contacts, the program included meetings with high-ranking Chinese entities, visits to research institutions, companies, and popular participation structures, allowing the delegation to learn about experiences in the political, legislative, economic, scientific, technological, and social domains.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Assembly of the Republic of Angola and the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China constitutes one of the main results of the visit and establishes new bases for deepening interparliamentary cooperation.
