Xinhua News Agency, Nairobi, February 18th
: Heading forward hand in hand on the road to modernization to build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future - President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory message to the 37th African Union Summit triggered a warm response in Africa
Xinhua News Agency reporter
President Xi Jinping sent a message to congratulate the 37th African Union Summit on the 17th. President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory message aroused enthusiastic responses in the African region. People from many African countries said that the congratulatory message reflects China's great importance to China-Africa cooperation and its firm support for Africa's development and revitalization. They believe that Africa-China relations will continue to become a model for South-South cooperation and international cooperation with Africa. They look forward to both sides joining hands on the road to modernization. In the future, we will promote the joint building of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future and create more benefits for the people of Africa and China.
"Promote global governance in a more just and reasonable direction"
President Xi Jinping pointed out in his congratulatory message that the world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. The "global South" represented by China and Africa is booming and has profoundly affected the course of world history. The AU unites African countries to strengthen themselves through unity and vigorously promotes integration and the construction of free trade areas. The African Union successfully joined the G20, further enhancing Africa's representation and voice in global governance. China expresses heartfelt congratulations on this.
"President Xi Jinping's congratulatory message fully expresses China's support for Africa and is exciting." Lalu Etala, a media representative attending the AU summit and senior editor of the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, saw the news of President Xi Jinping's congratulatory message to the AU summit. , immediately passed the news link to colleagues in the rear, and instructed them to immediately compile and distribute news in Amharic, Ethiopia’s official language.
Etala said that last year, Ethiopia was invited to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism and the African Union became a formal member of the G20. China has provided strong support in related matters. This is a major victory for cooperation in the "Global South", and the voice of developing countries is getting louder and louder on the world stage.
When being interviewed by reporters at the venue, Yusuf Mandua Assoumani, Chairman of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the African Union, expressed special thanks to China for its positive contributions to promoting development in various fields in the African region. "African countries and China have always supported each other in international affairs. Africa-China cooperation is a model for South-South cooperation and international cooperation with Africa."
According to Amadou Diop, a Senegalese expert on China, the "global South" represented by China and Africa is booming and playing an increasingly prominent role in global affairs. Africa-China cooperation embodies the new international relations concept of win-win cooperation and brings new impetus and new opportunities to world development.
Benjamin Mgana, editor-in-chief of the International Edition of Tanzania's "Guardian", said that in his congratulatory message, President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of African countries uniting to strengthen themselves, and attached great importance to enhancing Africa's representation and voice in global governance. Africa and China jointly practice this True multilateralism promotes the development of global governance in a more just and reasonable direction.
Raisa Aida Alog, senior policy officer for transport affairs of the African Union who attended the meeting, said: "China's development experience is beneficial to Africa and developing countries. It is hoped that Africa and China will further strengthen their cooperation in the fields of transportation, information communications and energy." Communicate and jointly push the world in a better direction.”
“Looking forward to jointly realizing the beautiful vision of modernization”
In his congratulatory message, President Xi Jinping emphasized that over the past year, relations between China and Africa have continued to develop in depth. The China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue was successfully held. The two sides decided to support each other in exploring their respective modernization paths and jointly create a good environment for realizing their development vision.
“President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory message is heart-warming.” Liberian Foreign Ministry Ambassador Robert Romia II told reporters at the venue, “China has always actively supported the work of the African Union and continued to assist African countries. African countries, including Liberia, have He is a beneficiary of cooperation between Africa and China. My country has experienced many years of war, and during post-war reconstruction, support from China has promoted the development and progress of our country."
In 2023, China-Africa cooperation in jointly building the "Belt and Road" will yield fruitful results and good news will come from time to time: Nigeria's Lekki deep-water port will be opened for operation, Zimbabwe and Angola international airport terminals will be successfully completed, and Cote d'Ivoire's Cocody Bridge will be completed and opened to traffic... August 2023 In September, Chinese and African leaders gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, to hold the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue during the 15th BRICS Leaders’ Meeting. After the meeting, China released three measures: the Initiative to Support African Industrialization, China's Plan to Assist Africa's Agricultural Modernization, and China-Africa Talent Training Cooperation Plan to support Africa's integration and modernization.
This year, the theme of the AU conference series is "Cultivating Africans for the 21st Century: Establishing a Resilient Education System in Africa to Provide More People with Inclusive, Long-term, High-Quality and Practical Learning Opportunities." "The theme of this year's AU series of meetings coincides with the thrust of the China-Africa talent training cooperation plan proposed by China last year." Marthe Dorkagum Bralan, Rapporteur of the AU Anti-Corruption Advisory Committee who attended the meeting Jia said that China has aided in building schools in Africa, provided teaching equipment and materials, and provided scholarships for local college students to study in China, cultivating a large number of high-quality talents and providing a solid foundation for Africa to achieve economic independence and sustainable development.
Kenyan expert on international issues Cavins Adheer was deeply touched by President Xi Jinping’s emphasis on “jointly creating a good environment for realizing the development vision”. He said that since the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative was proposed, Africa's infrastructure construction has achieved unprecedented development, laying the foundation for the realization of Africa's modernization and integration. The global development initiative, global security initiative and global civilization initiative proposed by China have been widely recognized by African countries. "The people of Africa and China share a common yearning for a better life. Facing the huge markets of both sides, Africa and China will work together to create a good environment for realizing their respective development visions."
"Africa is the continent with the most underdeveloped countries in the world. Africa-China cooperation has greatly changed the face of the African continent and helped African countries solve problems such as uneven development and poverty." said Han, director of the China Research Center at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Fry Mosi said that he looks forward to Africa and China further deepening cooperation in industrialization, agricultural modernization, talent training and other aspects to jointly realize the beautiful vision of modernization.
"In Rwanda, our entrepreneurs and workers are benefiting from the expertise shared by China, especially in areas such as manufacturing and the digital economy." said Joseph Mutaboba, a Rwandan expert on international relations and foreign affairs. "As Africa's largest trading partner, China plays an important role in Africa's development. The three major measures China proposed at the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue last year will create more new opportunities for both sides to work together to promote modernization."
"Working hand in hand on the road to building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future"
President Xi Jinping said in his congratulatory message that a new session of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will be held in 2024. I am willing to work with African leaders to focus on benefiting the people of both sides, carefully plan a new blueprint for China-Africa cooperation, and promote the joint construction of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. .
Joseph Shihama, an independent economic analyst in Namibia, believes that the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation plays a key role in promoting Africa's modernization and integration process. "I believe that as the practical cooperation between the two sides continues to deepen, expand, and upgrade in various fields, Africa-China relations will become closer, and the African region will achieve peace, stability, and sustainable development."
Paul Frimpong, executive director of the Africa-China Policy Advisory Center, a Ghanaian think tank, is full of expectations for the new session of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation mentioned by President Xi Jinping. "The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, as an important platform for collective dialogue between the two sides and an effective mechanism for practical cooperation, plays an important role in promoting win-win cooperation between Africa and China and cooperation among countries in the global South." He said that he looked forward to the new session continuing to serve Africa. Build bridges for China-China cooperation in various fields so that the results of cooperation can further benefit the people of both sides.
"With the joint efforts of Africa and China, previous FOCAC meetings have achieved remarkable results and summed up a series of practical experiences." Lewis Ndishu, a senior analyst at the African Policy Institute, a Kenyan think tank, said that he believes that this mechanism will continue to promote Africa and China are working hand in hand on the road to building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future and have achieved new and fruitful cooperation results.
Antoine Lokongo, an international relations scholar at Joseph Kasavubu University in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, introduced to reporters in an interview the substation projects and road repair and reconstruction projects undertaken by Chinese companies in Kinshasa in recent years. He said that China upholds the policy concept of sincerity, real results, real results and good faith towards Africa proposed by President Xi Jinping and the correct view of justice and interests, and closely integrates China's development with helping Africa's development. "Over the years, China has provided sincere assistance to African countries and made positive contributions to promoting the economic and social development of Africa, narrowing the gap between the North and the South, and achieving common global development. This is a true reflection of promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind." (Participating reporters: Kim Jong, Yan Ran, Liu Wanli, Liu Fangqiang, Zhou Chuyun, Dai He, Wang Zizheng, Hua Hongli, Li Hualing, Ji Li, Chen Cheng, Xu Zheng, Shi Yu)