The ‘Housing for Roseau’ project will be among a number of projects to be financed under the EC$40 million (US$14.8 million) loan secured from Beijing.

“We expect within about six months to commence the housing in Roseau. We want a number of the junior clerks to be able to afford an apartment,” said Urban Renewal Minister Julius Timothy.

Speaking on the state-owned DBS radio, Timothy said that the government intends constructing new buildings in the heart of the capital to house persons who will be displaced under the proposed housing scheme.

Dominica and China established diplomatic relations in 2004 after the Roosevelt Skerrit administration broke off relations with Taiwan, which China considers to be a renegade province.

The island has benefited from a number of infrastructure projects funded by China, including the Roseau to Portsmouth Road Rehabilitation project, which is the third of four pillar projects agreed to in a memorandum of understanding between the two governments.

(Parts of this article were written with content submitted in a Jamaica Gleaner publication)