Two Decades of A Shared Journey toward New Heights in the New Era

 » Continued from yesterday

We have always supported each other in trying times. China-Africa friendship was born in the formidable years of national liberation and is deeply rooted in our peoples’ heart. As President Xi said, China and Africa are friends tested by adversity, and such friends must never be forgotten.

During the 2008 international financial crisis, China and Africa rendered each other valuable support. Instead of reducing assistance, China bucked the trend and increased its support to Africa.

During the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, when others chose to leave, Chinese doctors and nurses braved difficulties and rushed to the hard-hit regions to help local people fight the disease, leaving an indelible chapter in the history of humanitarian assistance of the People’s Republic of China.

Faced with the onslaught of COVID-19 worldwide, China and Africa have again stood shoulder to shoulder to help each other tide over the challenges. What we have gone through together shows that China and Africa are more than just partners. We are comrades-in-arms.

The more severe the difficulties, the more determined and confident we are about China-Africa cooperation, and the more capable FOCAC is in pooling our strengths to forge ahead, making itself the key driving force for the time-honored China-Africa friendship.

We have always embraced openness and inclusiveness. FOCAC was established to answer the call of the times for peace, development and win-win cooperation. It serves as a fine example of multilateralism. China and Africa have all along upheld the principle of openness and inclusiveness. A closed door policy or exclusiveness is never an option. Colonial plunder and the Cold War rivalry brought excruciating sufferings to the African people.

That part of history must not be repeated. Africa must never again be an arena for major-power rivalry. This belief is widely shared by people across Africa, and should be respected by the entire international community. Openness is vital in cooperation with Africa. It is important to share experience and learn from one another, so that Africa’s peace and development can benefit from the common effort and contribution of the international community.

Africa’s cooperation with China has improved its development capacity and business environment, which in turn has created favorable conditions for other countries’ cooperation with the continent. China has taken part in more Africa related trilateral and multilateral cooperation in recent years. We commend and encourage such cooperation and will continue to support it.

III

The past twenty years have been a journey of China and Africa coming together as one community with a shared future. Today, the world is being shaped by changes unseen in a century, a process accelerated by COVID-19. China and Africa are good friends, partners and brothers, and more importantly, an important force for world peace and development. In this changing world, China and Africa need to stay united and work more closely together to make FOCAC a greater success and further deepen China-Africa relations, so as to further enhance our friendship and justice in the world.

China and Africa can and should be a new shining example in building a community with a shared future for mankind. The more complex and fluid the international landscape is, the greater the imperative for China and Africa to adhere to the fundamental direction of building a China-Africa community with a shared future. We should continue to follow the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests.

We need to maintain the momentum of high-level exchange, share more governance experience with each other, build a stronger bond between the Chinese and African peoples, and continue to elevate the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. We need to promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, step up mutual support on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns, and work together for greater democracy in international relations.

We need to take the side of the overwhelming majority of the international community, stay committed to multilateralism, and align global governance reforms with the common interests of developing countries. With these efforts, we will make the China-Africa relationship a trailblazer and a shining example in building a com-munity with a shared future for mankind.

China and Africa can and should set a new benchmark for international anti epidemic cooperation. China and Africa have fought hard for what we have achieved in tackling COVID-19. As the virus continues to spread globally, both China and Africa are confronted with the formidable task of combating the virus while stabilizing the economy and protecting people’s livelihoods.

We will speed up the implementation of the important measures that President Xi Jinping announced at the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19, and make China’s contribution to making vaccines accessible and affordable for African countries as soon as possible. China will continue to provide COVID-19 containment supplies, send expert teams, and facilitate Africa’s procurement of medical supplies from China.

China will strive for breaking ground for the construction of the Africa CDC headquarters by the end of this year. These are concrete actions that will show the world that China and Africa have the determination and strength to defeat COVID-19 together.

China and Africa can and should unleash greater potential in practical cooperation. COVID-19 will not hamper China-Africa cooperation. As one of the first countries to fully reopen the economy, China aims to foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other.

This will bring new opportunities for China and Africa to deepen, transform and upgrade their cooperation. China supports Africa’s effort to develop the African Continental Free Trade Area. We encourage Chinese companies and financial institutions to take an active part in infrastructure connectivity projects in Africa, which will facilitate cross-border logistics and customs clearance. We are ready to work with the international community in supporting Africa’s integration process and sub-regional economic community building. China hopes to work with Africa to deepen the integration of our industrial and supply chains, and encourages Chinese businesses to step up investment and technological cooperation in Africa.

We will support Africa’s agricultural modernization and industrialization drive to raise the added value and competitiveness of Africa’s exported energy, mineral and agricultural products. China will work with the international community to support Africa’s integration into the global industrial and supply chains. China and Africa need to join hands in pursuing green, low carbon, circular and sustainable development.

This will contribute to African countries’ ability to tackle climate change. An ancient Chinese verse reads: “Having scaled a cloud-shrouded mountain peak, we rest our horses and set sail for the vast ocean.” The China-Africa relationship will never stop moving forward. The development of FOCAC will never take a break.

Standing at a new historical starting point, China will continue to follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy and, with the personal commitment and support of Chinese and African leaders, increase the cohesion and influence of FOCAC, take China-Africa ties forward against all odds, and achieve greater success in our journey of building a China-Africa community with a shared future.