China's fast development over the past decades has significantly transformed the society, said Patrick Herminie, president of the Republic of Seychelles, as he recalled his first visit to the country about 35 years ago.
Herminie made the comments in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Seychelles' capital Victoria, which was aired on Friday.
He spoke highly of the development China has achieved over the past three decades, especially in emerging industries such as artificial intelligence.
"I was surprised, I was impressed by the level of development, technological development and the use of artificial intelligence for better public service, smart services. I think China is leading the world. That's my personal opinion. You know, when I first visited China some 35 years ago, there were only bicycles. But today, China is just incredible -- the roads, the cars. It's a revolution, it's not even a revolution, it's a transformation of a society. And I think, yes, you have done very well, and I was very impressed with what I saw," said Herminie.
China has remained the world's second-largest economy for more than a decade and developed the largest middle-income group, while overall living standards have continued to rise.
The country is also driving continuous breakthroughs in frontier technologies, fostering the development of future industries as part of efforts to cultivate new growth engines.
China's fast development over past decades transforms society: President of Seychelles
Bilateral ties between Seychelles and China are entering a new phase of expansion, driven by rising trade volumes, growing private-sector engagement and emerging cooperation in the blue economy and digital innovation, President of Seychelles Patrick Herminie said.
Data shows that trade and economic cooperation between the two nations has maintained strong momentum, with bilateral trade reaching 55 million U.S. dollars from January to September 2025, up 22.9 percent year on year.
In a recent interview with China Media Group (CMG), Herminie shared his insights into the drivers behind the growth.
"Chinese, they've been from the very outset, that is, at the beginning of the formation of Seychelles, they were the main traders. But this has increased over the years, mainly because of easier access to market and of course greater interest by the private sector and the public as well in Chinese goods. And at the same time, we are now importing cars from China. So it can only get better, it can only increase the trade relation between the two countries," said the president.
Meanwhile, Herminie highlighted broad prospects in emerging sectors and innovation-driven development the two sides can pursue to further deepen the ties, noting that Seychelles is looking to leverage cooperation with China to unlock long-term development potential.
"There is a lot of potential starting with the the blue economy itself and important aspects of the blue economy like aquaculture, mariculture, we have a lot of potential here and we can develop those potentials. This is the future for e-governance, for economic efficacy. Artificial intelligence is our future of the world, so to speak. So, we feel that China can help us tremendously," he noted.
President of Seychelles sees expanding trade, strategic future with China
