VZCZCXRO2306
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHMR #0048/01 0431113
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121113Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4591
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0024
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 5027

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000048 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S AND AF/RSA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL EAID CN LT
SUBJECT: CHINESE ENGAGEMENT IN LESOTHO AND POTENTIAL AREAS FOR 
COOPERATION 
 
REF: STATE 10152 
 
MASERU 00000048  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
--------------- 
Introduction 
--------------- 
 
¶1. (U)  According to Gao Deyi, China's Ambassador to Lesotho, 
there are approximately 5,000 Chinese in Lesotho (other figures 
estimate 10,000), though the number has declined over the past 
twenty years due to harsh living conditions and high rates of 
crime targeted against Chinese.  A study by Yoon Park and Barry 
Sautman exploring anti-Chinese sentiment in southern Africa 
revealed some of the reasons for crime targeted against ethnic 
Chinese.  They originally looked at Namibia, Zambia, and 
Lesotho, and their research is continuing in South Africa and 
Zimbabwe.  Park and Sautman found that successive waves of 
anti-foreigner violence in Lesotho in 1991, 1998, and 2007 
mainly targeted Chinese immigrants. 
 
¶2. (U)  Traders are one of the major target groups for 
anti-Chinese violence.  Immigrants, mostly recent arrivals from 
Fujian, attract the usual accusations of "clannishness," lack of 
English or Sesotho, and selling poor quality goods and expired 
foodstuffs.  Their very presence is taken as proof of government 
corruption, as the law is supposed to reserve small trade for 
Lesotho nationals.  Labor conditions in Chinese-owned textile 
plants are another widely-quoted grievance, though labor union 
leaders told Park and Sautman that conditions had improved 
substantially since 2005.  Paradoxically, 
Chinese(Taiwanese)-owned factories are the hub of Lesotho's 
economy, still employing around 32,000 people, down from 45,000 
employees before the global recession.  These textile and other 
factories attract experienced Chinese to Lesotho.  Ambassador 
Deyi estimates that about 30% of the Chinese in Lesotho will 
return to China at some point, but the remainder will stay in 
Lesotho or move on to a third country. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Overall Chinese Engagement in Lesotho 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶3. (U)  Political Relations: The People's Republic of China and 
the Kingdom of Lesotho re-established diplomatic relations in 
1994 and since then bilateral relations between the two counties 
have been growing.  Roughly 12 different ministers from the 
government of China (GOC) have visited Lesotho for political 
reasons, and senior officials from Lesotho's government (GOL) 
have visited China.  These include King Letsie III, Prime 
Minister Mosisili, and several government ministers.  The latest 
visit was by the Minister of Communications, Science and 
Technology, Mothetjoa Metsing, who was in China February 2-8, 
2010, at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC). 
Metsing, also Secretary General of the governing Lesotho 
Congress for Democracy (LCD) party, said the main purpose of his 
visit was to deepen relations between the CPC and the LCD, and 
to learn from China's successful experience of state governance 
and economic development. 
 
¶4. (U)  Trade Relations and Economic Cooperation: The GOC has 
helped Lesotho establish the Juncao mushroom cultivation 
technology demonstration centre in Maseru.  China introduced 
this project to help Lesotho explore an innovative way to solve 
the food shortage problem.  Juncao technology has already been 
promoted in 60 countries in Africa.  Recently, the GOC donated 
USD 13,333 to the GOL for its preparations for the World Expo 
2010, which will run from May 1 to October 30 in Shanghai.  The 
GOL used part of these funds to contract a China-based company 
to construct the Lesotho Pavilion at the Shanghai EXPO 2010. 
The GOC has also granted Lesotho a concessional loan of USD30 
million for the National Telecom Network Expansion project. 
 
¶5. (U)  Exchanges in the fields of culture, education and 
health:  China and Lesotho signed an implementation agreement on 
cultural exchange.  From 2001-2004, there was an exchange of 
visits by culture ministers and cultural troops.  Fine arts and 
paintings from each nation were exhibited respectively in the 
capitals of the two countries.  The Chinese government donated a 
computer lab to the National University of Lesotho and provided 
17 scholarships to Basotho students who are currently studying 
in China.  The two governments also signed a protocol to send a 
Chinese medical team to work in Lesotho for a period of two to 
three years.  So far, China has sent about 100 professional 
doctors to practice at Lesotho's Queen Elizabeth II Hospital. 
As part of human resource training cooperation, about 250 
Basotho have been trained in China, including 6 military 
officers. 
 
¶6. (U)  Assistance with Buildings:  The government of China is 
funding the ongoing construction of the new parliament building 
 
MASERU 00000048  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
for Lesotho.  China has also funded the construction of the 
National Convention Center, Butha-Buthe Industrial Park, the 
National Library and Archives, and two rural secondary schools. 
 
----------------------------- 
U.S.-China collaboration 
----------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU)  There is currently no U.S. - China collaboration in 
Lesotho, nor is there evidence of any collaboration between 
China and any third country in Lesotho.  Although there is an 
active local donor coordination group, the Development Partners 
Consultative Forum, the Chinese typically do not participate 
except to provide a silent presence at the group's meetings with 
government ministers.  Post interprets this as a China's desire 
to focus exclusively on the bilateral relationship with Lesotho. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Given the Chinese provision of doctors to Lesotho's 
public hospitals, post feels that incorporating these human 
resources into the health system strengthening aspects of its 
PEFPAR projects might be an appropriate area for future 
collaboration.  There is a severe shortage of doctors and other 
health care professionals in Lesotho, and PEPFAR's recently 
signed Partnership Framework with the GOL places an emphasis on 
strengthening this area. 
NOLAN