Chinese Government provides RMB 16 million grant for Navuso Bridge Construction Project

Project narrative

On November 3, 2004, the Chinese Government and the Government of Fiji signed an exchange of letters, which committed RMB 16 million of grant funding for the Navuso Bridge Construction Project. The purpose of this project was to construct a bridge — that is 104.5 meters long and 9.1 meters wide — over the Waimanu River, which links Princess Road to the village of Navuso. Upon completion, the bridge was expected to facilitate travel for the 5,000 residents of Navuso. On May 8, 2006, the China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) decided to use a limited invitation tendering mode for the project, and nine enterprises were invited to tender the project. On August 9, 2006, MOFCOM awarded a construction to China Railway No. 5 Group (CR5), a subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited. On October 18, 2006, Guangzhou Wanan Construction Supervision Co., Ltd was selected to supervise the implementation of the project. First Highway Survey & Design Institute of China was selected to design the project. The Government of Fiji assumed responsibility for site preparation costs, payment of duty, VAT, and taxes on the importation of goods. In mid-2007, a team from CR5, assisted by the Chinese Embassy, carried out a site inspection in Navuso. The project officially commenced on April 17, 2008. Then, on June 23, 2008, Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Cai Jinbiao and Mr. Timoci Natuva, Fiji’s Minister for Works and Transport inspected the construction site. The project was ultimately completed on April 10, 2009. Project implementation was delayed slightly because of a disagreement about duty levied on materials from China.