Mauritius DPM Berenger Disillusioned As China’s JinFei Project Failed to Fulfill its Promise
On 17 May 2025, Mauritian Deputy Prime Minister Paul Berenger undertook a site visit of Chinese projects in Mauritius to take stock of their current status. Accompanied by several ministers and heads of government agencies, he visited the #JinFei Economic and Trade Zone (JFETZ) in Riche Terre and the Yihai Smart City in Pailles.
At the JFETZ, he observed that the degraded state of the infrastructure at the Eden Garden Square. Hailed as a flagship project under #FOCAC with Mauritius acting as a springboard for China into Africa, it is now abundantly clear that JFETZ is far from having fulfilled its promise.
Initially, the Government of Mauritius undertook land acquisition and compensated several smallholder farmers to make way for 500 arpents for the project in Riche Terre, situated strategically not far from the seaport of Port Louis. The Government of Mauritius even invested to build the basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity, water, waste and broadband for the #SEZ.
In 2015, as the project did not make satisfactory progress, the Government of Mauritius decided to claim back 325 arpents from the JFETZ, leaving 175 for the JinFei project. Now in 2025, the JinFei is in a sorry state and is a mere shadow of the grandiose vision.
The reclaimed 325 arpents of prime land was then allocated to Landscope Mauritius to develop and manage. This portion of the park was rebranded as the Riche Terre Business and Industrial Park and appears to be doing quite well with many local and foreign tenants, including Decathlon.
According to public reports in China, it has come to light that the directors of the parent company of JinFei in China have been charged for corruption and imprisoned, thus adding insult to injury. Additionally, the recent discovery of illegal breeding of macaques in JinFei further tarnished its image.
Then, DPM Berenger led the delegation to visit the YiHai #SmartCity which is a JV between between the State Investment Corporation (SIC) and Mr LI Hai, a Chinese investor. Much to his chagrin, the DPM noted that the Pailles estate has fallen very low compared to its former glory days.
To wrap up the tour, the DPM hosted a press conference to communicate his views on the current situation of the Chinese projects in Mauritius. According to Berenger, it will take ‘considerable efforts to redress JinFei.’ As for #YiHai, certain business decisions of the promoter appear quite puzzling.
The site visit followed a meeting between DPM Paul BERENGER and newly arrived Chinese Ambassador HUANG Shifang on 16 May 2025. An objective assessment of current situation appears urgent and necessary in order to recalibrate the Mauritius-China partnership.