China will assist 120 million Chinese yuan (US$14.5 million), to Tanzania on a new national stadium construction work, a senior visiting Chinese official said in Dar es Salaam Monday.  

Fu Ziying, Chinese assistant minister of commerce said so during the talks with Tanzanian Prime Minister Frederick Sumaye in his office.

Fu said that the Chinese government fully understood the necessity and urgency of building such new national stadium to the Tanzanians, so China will send an experts team to Tanzania for further negotiation as soon as possible.

He believed that with the close cooperation between the two governments, specially on funding, the project will be successful.     

On his side, Sumaye said that since the stadium is scheduled to be finished in 2005, the two governments need to work closely to finish the work.

The Chinese commerce delegation arrived in Tanzania on Sunday, and will leave here on Wednesday.

(Xinhua News Agency February 24, 2004)