Tunisia could issue a bond on the Chinese financial market to finance development projects, the Central Bank of Tunisia (CBT) announced in a statement published on December 13, as the institution’s governor was visiting Beijing.

“CBT’s governor, Chedly Ayari, and his Chinese counterpart, Zhou Xiachuan, looked at the possibility to issue a bond on the Chinese financial market, to mobilize the funds necessary for economic development projects in Tunisia,” CBT said in its statement.

The two officials agreed to sign a currency swap (Yuan-Dinar) to “pay for part of commercial and financial transactions in the local currency; which will help reduce exchange risks for the two parties and get Chinese importers more interested in Tunisian products,” the same source added.

CBT’s governor went to China leading a delegation of officials from Tunisia’s finance sector, including the president of the Financial Market Council (CMF), the general manager of the Caisse des Dépôts et des Consignations (CDC) and the president of the Tunisia Professional Association of Banks and Financial Institutions.