Meanwhile, for Guinea-Bissau, China is extremely important, providing finance to build key projects ranging from presidential palaces to roads and stadiums.

Embalo called China his country’s “top priority direction and most important partner in diplomacy” during his visit, as he obtained multimillion-dollar deals from his Chinese counterpart.

With a population of just over 2 million, Guinea-Bissau is one of the least developed African countries that China announced in 2022 would benefit from the waiver of tariffs on 98 per cent of taxable items originating from the country.

“China is willing to continue to provide technical support for Guinea-Bissau to enhance its agricultural production capacity,” the statement said.

China will expand cooperation in mining, infrastructure construction, ocean resources and other fields under its massive overseas investment plan, the Belt and Road Initiative.

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China-funded infrastructure across Africa force difficult decisions for its leaders

China-funded infrastructure across Africa force difficult decisions for its leaders

Xi also said Chinese companies would be encouraged to invest and cooperate in Guinea-Bissau to help the African nation “better achieve national development”.

This will help it “transform its resource potential into development momentum”, according to a readout released after the talks held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

“China is willing to continue to provide support to Guinea-Bissau’s domestic construction to the best of its ability,” Xi said in the statement.

It will also provide government scholarships and training vacancies to help Bissau cultivate talent of all kinds needed for national development. Beijing traditionally provides thousands of scholarships annually to students to study in Chinese universities and welcomes government workers to attend short-term courses in China.

“Before we get there, China has already announced a donation of US$27.5 million to Guinea-Bissau, which will be earmarked for projects, independently of other projects we already have in the pipeline,” Embalo was quoted as saying by Lusa News Agency, Portugal’s largest media outlet.

China is currently building the country’s only highway linking Osvaldo Vieira International Airport to the town of Safim, a distance of 8.2km (5 miles), with a cost of US$14.7 million.

A new fishing port in Bandim on the outskirts of Bissau was recently completed by China Railway Guangzhou Engineering Group Corporation (CRGEG) for US$26 million.

“As a result, China pays attention to small economies such as Guinea-Bissau,” Shinn said.

He said for its part, Guinea-Bissau sought export markets, foreign direct investment, loans and foreign aid from wherever it was available.

“Although China is a modest source, Guinea-Bissau may perceive that potentially it will become more important,” Shinn said.

Sub-Saharan geoeconomic analyst Aly-Khan Satchu said he could not imagine Guinea-Bissau’s president getting a state visit to the White House.

“It’s never going to happen. And therein lies an essential difference in China and US foreign relations,” Satchu said.

He said Xi’s flex in Africa was explained by this visit.

For Guinea-Bissau, “China can be a game-changer”, he said.

“It’s a small economy and China can put in as little as US$1 billion to work and inflect the country’s fortunes,” Satchu said.