Chinese FM puts forward proposals to further deepen China-Africa friendship

DAR ES SALAAM -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Mahmoud Thabit Kombo on Friday in Dar es Salaam, calling for further strengthening China-Africa friendship.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China and Tanzania share a long-standing and enduring traditional friendship.

Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Tanzania as one of the destinations of his first visit to Africa in 2013, where he put forward the principles of sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith in China's Africa policy, marking a new milestone in the history of China-Africa relations, Wang said while meeting the press together with Kombo.

This year's visit continues the tradition of China's foreign ministers making Africa their first overseas destination at the start of the year for 36 consecutive years, a practice China will continue to uphold and carry forward, he said.

China-Africa cooperation, he noted, is an important component of South-South cooperation, with strong internal momentum and bright development prospects.

The Chinese foreign minister summarized China-Africa friendship and mutual trust in three key aspects.

First, jointly upholding justice. China and Africa once stood shoulder to shoulder in the struggles against imperialism and colonialism, in the fight for national liberation, and in the pursuit of development and revitalization, he said.

Today, the two sides continue to firmly support each other on issues involving their respective core interests, safeguard the common interests of the Global South, uphold the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and act as a stabilizing force in a world marked by turbulence and change, he added.

China supports Tanzania in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, and development interests, supports the Tanzanian people in pursuing a development path suited to their national conditions, and opposes any external interference in Tanzania's internal affairs under any pretext, he noted.

Second, jointly pursuing progress. President Xi has proposed that China and Africa work together to advance modernization characterized by six features and build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, providing direction for South-South cooperation, Wang said.

China-Tanzania relations, Wang said, have gone beyond the bilateral scope and align with the historical trend of the collective rise of the Global South.

Third, jointly advocating mutual benefit. China and Africa's shared pursuit of modernization is anchored in mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, Wang said.

China stands ready to further align development strategies with African countries, promote faster and broader implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Africa, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as agriculture, mining, and manufacturing, advancing hand in hand on the path to modernization, he said.

Wang recalled that two months ago, under the guidance of the leaders of China, Tanzania, and Zambia, the Tanzania-Zambia Railway revitalization project officially broke ground.

China is willing to work with Tanzania to advance the revitalization of the railway, jointly build a prosperity belt along the railway, turn it into a new engine for Tanzania's development, and continuously enrich and deepen the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.