14 Oct 2013

Chinese investors talk up transport, agriculture deals in French Polynesia

6:40 am on 14 October 2013

Chinese investors say they are ready for large-scale deals with French Polynesia in the area of transport and agriculture, reportedly with funding support from China's Development Bank.

A business delegation to Tahiti has proposed rebuilding the island's international airport, constructing a new port in the south and linking it with a new road.

The delegation, led by the Li Xiaolin, who is the daughter of China's former prime minister, Li Peng, has also proposed tourism big developments on Tahiti.

It has agreed to buy 4,000 tonnes of noni juice a year, and suggested it might extend this to buying Tahiti's entire production.

Ms Li says this co-operation has to be a win-win situation.

The French Polynesian president, Gaston Flosse, says he doesn't worry about the politics between China and France, adding these deals should cause no problems for France.

He says on the contrary, they can get the territory out of its crisis and give work to the thousands of unemployed as all projects will be carried out with only French Polynesian workers.