In 2013, bilateral relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Cape Verde continued to develop steadily with exchanges and cooperation in all fields further strengthened.
The two countries had close political interactions. In March, President Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca sent a letter of congratulations to Xi Jinping on his election as the Chinese president. In April, President Fonseca sent a letter of condolences to President Xi Jinping over the earthquake in Lushan, Sichuan Province. In March, Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira Neves, President of the National Assembly Basilio Mosso Ramos and Minister of External Relations Jorge Alberto Silva Borges sent letters of congratulations to Premier Li Keqiang, NPC Chairman Zhang Dejiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi respectively on their assumption of office. In April, Prime Minister Neves, Speaker Ramos and Minister Borges sent letters of condolences to Premier Li Keqiang, Chairman Zhang Dejiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi respectively over the earthquake in Lushan, Sichuan Province. In August, Deputy Prime Minster and Minister of Health Maria Cristina Fontes Lima attended the Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development in China. In June, Minister of Culture Mario Lucio Sousa attended the first Roundtable Meeting on Chinese and African Cultural Industries in China and the two countries signed the Implementation Program for 2013-2016 of the Cultural Agreement Between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Cape Verde. In November, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Energy Humberto Brito attended the fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on Trade and Economic Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries at the head of a delegation and signed the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation Between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Cape Verde.
Smooth progress was made in the bilateral economic and trade cooperation. China-assisted projects such as the main part of the Cape Verde National Stadium and the second phase of technical cooperation on Praia Central Hospital were successfully completed, and the construction of Sal Educational Complex was started. The first phase of the E-Government Networks project financed by China's preferential loans was completed. Enterprises from both countries had active interactions and discussed possibilities of cooperation in a wide range of fields.
The two countries had active people-to-people and local exchanges. In February, the Cape Verde-China Friendship Association, a nongovernmental organization, held the first Chinese Culture Week in Cape Verde. In April, Mayor of Praia Jose Ulisses Correia e Silva attended the second Dialogue for Chinese and African Governors and Mayors in Jinan, Shandong Province. In May, a cultural delegation from Shanghai visited Cape Verde as part of the China-Africa Cultural Cooperation Partnership Program. In June, the Art Ensemble of the Chengdu Ethnic Song and Dance Theater performed in Cape Verde.
