Chinese Government provides RMB 68 million grant — via ETCA — for Aquatic Center Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#72229)

Project narrative

On September 4, 2003, the Chinese Government and Samoan Government signed an exchange of letters, which committed grant funding for the Aquatic Center Construction Project. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) committed RMB 68 million of grant funding in total. The grant proceeds were drawn in part from an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) that the two governments signed on October 9, 2003 (captured via Record ID#72229). The purpose of this project was to construct an aquatic center with an 8,869 square meter pool in the Tuanaimato area of the city of Apia. Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Corporation was the contractor responsible for implementation. It signed a construction contract on October 9, 2004. A groundbreaking ceremony — attended by Prime Minister Tuilaepa and Chinese Ambassador Liu Guanren — took place on December 11, 2004. Construction ended in December 2005 and the aquatic center was officially inaugurated on January 16, 2006. The Miss South Pacific Pageant was held at the Samoa Aquatic Center on November 10, 2006. The facility was also used during the 2007 South Pacific Games, which were held in Apia from August 25, 2007 to September 8, 2007. According to the Lowy Institute and several media reports, this project has been controversial because the Government of Samoa was unable to finance the recurring costs of maintaining the swimming pool at the Aquatic Center and it asked the Government of New Zealand to shoulder this expense.