The Guangzhou Urban Planning and Design Survey Research Institute is helping two cities in Mozambique, Nampula and Nacala, solve their urban development problems, the Global Times reports.
The Chinese state-owned newspaper quotes one of the city planners belonging to the institute, Zheng Qingzhi, as saying they use Chinese special economic zones as a reference.
Mr Zheng said they had planned Nacala as an economic corridor with the necessary facilities.
He said the planners had helped the local authorities come up with policies to attract investors.
The report says 80 percent of the people of Nampula, the third-largest city in Mozambique, live in slums without sewerage or mains electricity and gas.
But Mr Zheng believes Nampula has the potential to become the equivalent of an important Chinese city such as Guangzhou, the Global Times says.
