Cabo Verde’s tenacious football team impressed audiences worldwide with its remarkable performance, making a successful debut at the FIFA World Cup. For the China Aviation Planning and Design Institute (Group) Co., Ltd. (AVIC CAPDI), a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), Cabo Verde is more than a name on the map — it embodies over two decades of profound friendship forged through foreign assistance.
People-to-People Bonds
“Everyone who once visited Cabo Verde knows that the people here share the same resilient spirit as their national football team: optimistic, down-to-earth, and unyielding in the face of challenges,” said Liu Wenchao, an AVIC CAPDI director responsible for the corporation’s foreign assistance affairs.
In 1999, AVIC CAPDI undertook the construction of the Memorial Amilcar Cabral and its auditorium, a landmark public facility for Cabo Verde that preserves the country’s historical memories and carries its spiritual heritage.
Twenty-seven years later, in 2026, upon the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Cabo Verde and the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Africa, AVIC CAPDI won the bid for renovating three secondary schools in Cabo Verde.
Centering on fostering people-to-people bonds, the project team went beyond basic campus renovation. It built new laboratories, teachers’ offices and dining areas, and fully equipped the campuses with complete teaching and office supplies.
“We strive to create safe, bright and fully functional learning environments,” said Zhong Yan, the project manager. “We want to tell local students that their dreams are treated seriously and they are able to pursue their goals.”
Overcome Challenges
The three secondary schools under renovation were scattered across three separate islands, posing a wide range of challenges to the construction, such as cross-island operations and the rainy season.
To address these difficulties, the team formed a tailored cross-island coordination procedure to arrange personnel deployment, material transportation and construction schedules in line with local academic calendars and climate conditions, minimizing disruptions to normal campus operations and ensuring the construction was completed in time.
The project team also adopted a full lifecycle management system to deal with the harsh island environment. The team improved anti-corrosion standards by adopting salt- and fog-resistant materials and stainless steel components, and it opted for locally accessible construction resources. In addition, it installed a cleaning passage beside the outside walls to facilitate long-term maintenance.
People-Centered Development
Since undertaking China’s foreign assistance missions in 1965, AVIC CAPDI has carried out more than 40 foreign aid projects in over 30 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Its focus has gradually shifted from iconic landmark buildings to people-centered, “small yet smart” livelihood projects covering education, medical care and sports.
Every project completed by the company — like renovating a campus, building a reliable hospital, making a standard football field and upgrading a rural road — is focused on people’s daily needs and local development.
“I hope that every China-aided project that our company undertakes is beyond merely a building, but in essence a bond that can connect China and the world and make more people feel warm due to development,” said Liu.
This development philosophy has taken root across borders. Recently, the China-aided National Stadium of El Salvador, designed and managed by AVIC CAPDI, passed its first mid-term inspection with an excellent rating and received an official commendation letter from the Salvadoran sports authority. Upon completion, the stadium will serve as the home field of the El Salvador national football team.
(Executive editor: Zuo Shihan)
