Today and tomorrow, the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is held in Senegal. President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech by video. Over the years, China and Africa have always been sincere and friendly, united and cooperated. They are a community of shared destiny and win-win cooperation. On November 26, the State Council Information Office published the white paper “China-Africa Cooperation in the New Era”. The white paper comprehensively introduced China’s policy toward Africa, the vivid practice and fruitful results of China-Africa cooperation in the new era, and looked forward to the broad prospects of China-Africa cooperation in the future.
Africa is thousands of miles away from China, but similar historical experiences and common historical missions have closely linked China and Africa. For many years, China and African countries have always been good friends in the same boat, good partners sharing weal and woe, and good brothers who care for each other.
Li Xinfeng, executive director of the China African Research Institute, said: “China-Africa relations have a long history. Zheng He went to Africa for seven voyages and visited Africa four times. Since modern times, especially since the founding of New China, China-Africa relations have developed further. During the colonial and anti-imperialist struggle, a profound friendship was forged in mutual support for national independence and economic development.”
China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future. At the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in September 2018, China and Africa decided to build a closer China-Africa community with a shared future, setting a new milestone in the history of China-Africa relations. How to build a closer China-Africa community with a shared future? The white paper “China-Africa Cooperation in the New Era” elaborated on the aspects of upholding the concept of true affinity and honesty and correct justice and benefit, insisting on mutual respect and common development, establishing the lofty goal of a community with a shared future, and setting a model for world development and cooperation.
Ruan Zongze, Executive Vice President of the China Institute of International Studies, said: “China’s Africa policy has four persistences, especially the correct view of justice and benefit. The correct view of justice and benefit is a very important development that President Xi Jinping put forward during his visit to Africa. The guiding ideology of Africa-Africa relations is also a summary of the valuable experience of China-Africa relations in the past few decades. The most important meaning of China-Africa relations lies in the combination of Africa’s independence, sustainable development and China’s own development, and does not engage in zero-sum games. Do not pursue profit only, but achieve win-win cooperation.”
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the development of China-Africa relations and personally drew a blueprint for China-Africa cooperation. The white paper comprehensively and systematically summarized the new ideas, new practices, and new achievements of Xi Jinping’s diplomatic thinking in Africa.
Ruan Zongze said: “I think a valuable experience that is very important in the development of China-Africa relations is the strategic guidance of leaders. Since 2013, President Xi Jinping has visited Africa four times. It can be said that his footprints have covered the east, west, north, south, and central, and Africa. Dozens of leaders of China have contacts, and President Xi has put forward a series of initiatives and ideas. These ideas and initiatives have very important guiding significance for China-Africa relations.”
Li Xinfeng said: “At the Johannesburg Summit in 2015, President Xi Jinping promoted China-Africa relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. At the same time, he proposed to strengthen and consolidate the’Five Pillars’ and focus on the implementation of the’Ten Cooperation Plans’. In 2018 At the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in September 2008, he put forward the “five no” principle of China-Africa relations, the “six-in-one” China-Africa community with a shared future, and the “eight major actions”. President Xi personally painted China-Africa The relationship has pointed out the course for the development of China-Africa relations.”
Whether China-Africa cooperation is good or not, the people of China and Africa have the most say. On this day of the weekend, Kenyan Dimi Kimoni got on the train again and started his “twin-city” life. Due to work and children’s education, Dimi Kimoni travels between the capital Nairobi and the small town of Voi all the year round. In 2017, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway built by a Chinese company was opened, and he and his son, who had only returned home in a month, had more reunions.
It’s not just people’s way of life. As Kenya’s first modern railway in a century, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has created more than 40,000 jobs and contributed 1.5% to Kenya’s economic growth, becoming a veritable economic artery.
At present, China-Africa relations are in the best period in history. The results of China-Africa cooperation spread all over Africa, improving the conditions for economic and social development in Africa and bringing tangible benefits to the people of both sides.
As the road to economic and trade cooperation becomes wider and wider, more and more African specialty products enter China, enriching China’s consumer market. Since 2009, China has been Africa’s largest trading partner country for 12 consecutive years. From January to September this year, China-Africa trade volume reached US$185.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 38.2%, reaching the highest level in the same period in history.
While economic cooperation is developing rapidly, China is also actively developing cooperation with Africa in social fields such as poverty reduction, health, and education, and sharing social development experience. Among them, the experience of poverty reduction has received special attention.
Li Xinfeng said: “The China African Research Institute organized two African scholars to visit Yan’an in the second half of 2019. After they visited Yan’an’s poverty alleviation campaign, Cameroonian philosopher Professor Enkoro Foet was impressed. He wrote this In a paragraph, seeing China’s achievements in Yan’an’s fight against poverty, it tells Africa that the road to modernization is not a Western road. The road to Chinese-style modernization provides a brand new choice for Africa’s development.”
It is better to teach people how to fish than to teach people how to fish. For many years, China has been helping Africa cultivate high-quality technical and skilled personnel. In March 2019, China’s first Luban workshop in Africa was inaugurated and operated in Djibouti, cultivating and transporting talents for the Asia-Djibouti Railway and Djibouti Port Economic and Trade Zone. At present, China has set up 14 Luban workshops in 13 countries in Africa.
The friendship between the nations lies in the friendship between the people. From “Wan Cun Tong” to “Film and Television Caravan”, from co-organizing “National Year” and “Cultural Year” to encouraging cooperation between academics and think tanks, the deepening of humanities cooperation has further promoted the communication between the people of China and Africa.
China-Africa relations did not develop in a day, let alone a gift from anyone. Instead, China and Africa are in the same boat and we share weal and woe, step by step. On critical moments and major issues concerning each other’s future and destiny, the two sides have always stood firmly together and supported each other.
Ruan Zongze said: “50 years ago, the African brothers supported the new China to restore its legal seat in the United Nations. When Resolution 2758 was passed, they rejoiced and felt that this was not only a victory for China, but also a victory for Africa and the world. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China is firmly safeguarding the interests of African countries when it presides over international fairness and justice and involves these issues in the African region.”
In 2014, there were outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. In the difficult times of the African people, China has no hesitation in extending a helping hand.
Ruan Zongze said: “At that time, the international community was panicked about the virus. Many Westerners retreated. When everyone retreated, China was retrograde. Our medical workers, expert teams, and medical resources are constantly turning back. African countries provide it. And China has provided hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in support, and China has provided the greatest humanitarian assistance. When African countries encounter difficulties and risks and challenges, and when they are most difficult, China and African brothers stand together. I I think this is more important than anything else.”
Recently, more and more African people are being vaccinated with the new crown pneumonia vaccine from China. Vaccines exported and donated by China continue to arrive in African countries, giving these countries new hope in fighting the epidemic.
In the face of the sudden new crown pneumonia epidemic, China and Africa once again fought side by side and helped each other. At a difficult time for China to fight the epidemic, African countries and regional organizations such as the African Union have given China a lot of support. After the outbreak in Africa, China also rushed to help Africa as soon as possible, sending anti-epidemic medical experts and anti-epidemic medical teams, providing emergency anti-epidemic material assistance, and so on.
In May 2020, a team of medical experts from Hebei arrived in Kinshasa and joined hands with local people in Africa to fight the epidemic. For Wang Junhui, the leader of the expert team, this is no stranger. He led the team here for medical assistance a few years ago.
China and Africa move forward together through storms and hardships, setting a model for promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. In the future, we will also strive to create a new situation in China-Africa relations.
From November 29th to 30th, the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held in Senegal. At the meeting, China will elaborate its important policy propositions on building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, and announce new major measures for cooperation with Africa in the next three years. Non-cooperative mid- and long-term planning.
Ruan Zongze said: “I think the future cooperation between China and Africa is to realize the connection between the Chinese dream and the African dream. The Chinese dream is the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We have embarked on the new journey of the second centenary goal, and Africa has to realize itself. China and Africa are prosperous, strong and integrated, so they formulated the “2063 Agenda.” What should we do to achieve such a grand goal? There is a considerable convergence between China and Africa, and this convergence is that both sides regard future development as The most important thing. We have common interests, and there are no fundamental differences in interests. Common interests are the mainstream of China-Africa relations. This is the best foundation and condition for future China-Africa relations.”
No matter how the international situation changes, the original intention of China-Africa cooperation for win-win cooperation and common development will not change. At present, both China and Africa have entered a new stage of development. China’s promotion of the establishment of a new development pattern with domestic and international cycles as the main body and mutual promotion of domestic and international cycles will bring more “Chinese opportunities” to the development of Africa. The formal implementation of the African Free Trade Area and the acceleration of African economic integration and regional economic integration will also give China-Africa cooperation more room for development. Standing at a new historical starting point, China and Africa work together to overcome difficulties and seek common development, and build a closer China-Africa community with a shared future, which will also better benefit the people of China and Africa.