By He Yin, People’s Daily
China, in its cooperation with Africa, has always honored its commitment and worked in a practical and efficient manner.
Over a month ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping summarized the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation at the eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, where he also raised four proposals to build a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.
At the conference, he announced that China will work closely with African countries to implement nine programs of China-Africa practical cooperation.
After the conference concluded, a series of relevant activities were held, including the 2021 China-Africa Innovation Cooperation Conference, and the launching of a group of China-Africa Joint Centers for Modern Agrotechnology Exchange, Demonstration &Training.
China and Eritrea decided to elevate their relations to a strategic partnership. China and Kenya inked a series of cooperation documents on digital economy, investment, agriculture and export of Kenyan agricultural products to China. Besides, China said it would help the Comoros achieve universal immunization within a year, completely eliminate malaria in the Comoros by 2025, and support the Comoros Emerging Plan for 2030.
These concrete actions to implement the outcomes of the eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation are deepening and substantiating the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.
The mutual assistance and solidarity demonstrated by China and Africa amid the COVID-19 pandemic manifests the spirit of building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has offered 120 batches of emergency medical supplies for 53 African countries and the African Union (AU), delivering these materials to each and every African country and region. Besides, almost all African countries have received China’s COVID-19 vaccines.
When Africa was facing a new round of COVID-19 resurgence, President Xi announced that China will provide another one billion doses of vaccines to Africa, to help the AU achieve its goal of vaccinating 60 percent of the African population by 2022.
At present, this largest-ever aid plan for Africa is well underway. Batches of Chinese vaccines are being shipped to every corner of the African continent, crossing mountains and seas.
These actions prove that China will always stand firmly with Africa and work with it to achieve the final victory in the fight against the pandemic.
China is the largest developing country, and Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries. The mutual assistance between the two sides when they are pursuing economic development and national rejuvenation will help enhance the common welfare of the 2.7 billion people in both China and Africa.
China has always been following the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and pursuing the greater good and shared interests in its cooperation with Africa. The two sides have built over 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometers of highways, nearly 1,000 bridges and 100 ports, as well as a large number of hospitals and schools.
Recently, a Chinese company built oil terminal at the port of Mombasa, Kenya was completed. It is another witness to the sincere friendship between China and Africa and a joyful result of the cooperation between the two sides under the Belt and Road Initiative, heralding a bright prospect of the two sides on their way to modernization.
As long as China and Africa keep maintaining their solidarity and cooperation, they will definitely explore a new path for developing countries to achieve modernization.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said he is often asked why Kenya and China cooperate so closely, and he told them, because China and Kenya respect each other and treat each other as equals. What he said exactly explains why China and Africa enjoy sustaining friendship and cooperation.
China never attaches political strings in its cooperation with Africa, or forces the latter to do anything. The country always sees Africa as a broad stage for international cooperation rather than an arena for competition among major countries. If there is any competition, then we should compare who has done more for Africa, who has contributed more to Africa, and who has worked more for the African people.
China is sincere in offering assistance to African countries, and is willing to cooperate with all countries in the world to develop Africa. The African people know clearly who their real friend is. President of Eritrea Isaias Afwerki called China an indispensable and true development partner of Africa, and hoped that China could play a bigger role in Africa’s peace and development process.
The spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, which features sincere friendship and equality, win-win for mutual benefit and common development, fairness and justice, and progress with the times and openness and inclusiveness, will be carried on from generation to generation.
Joining hands for modernization and the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, China and Africa will surely write a glorious chapter in the history of human civilization
