Join Hands to Build a Closer Community with a Shared Future for China and Africa - ENA English
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Join Hands to Build a Closer Community with a Shared Future for China and Africa
Tan Jian Ambassador of China to Ethiopia:- The Beijing Summit of 2018 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was a big success. The turnout and level of participation was unprecedented: 54 African members of the FOCAC attended the Summit, including 40 presidents, 10 prime ministers, 1 vice president and the Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission. H.E. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed attended the Summit at the invitation of President H.E. Xi Jinping of China and made important contribution. It was a summit with intensive activities: more than 100 events were held, including the opening ceremony, leaders' round-table meeting, entrepreneur conference, numerous side events and bilateral talks. It was a summit with fruitful results: following the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and that of pursuing the greater good and shared interests, China and Africa have committed to strengthening cooperation including jointly advancing the Belt and Road Initiative, and building the community with a shared future through win-win cooperation. The Summit adopted the Beijing Declaration and the FOCAC Beijing Action Plan (2019-2021), launching various new projects to deepen China-Africa cooperation across the board covering trade, investment, poverty alleviation, infrastructure, capacity-building, health, people-to-people exchange, peace and security. There have been nearly 150 cooperation agreements signed between China and African countries during the Summit. The FOCAC Beijing Summit was called “the Golden Week” of China-Africa friendship. Ever since its inception 18 years ago, FOCAC has made remarkable achievements. China has remained Africa’s largest trading partner for 9 consecutive years, with the accumulated FDI to Africa over US$ 100 billion. To enhance its unity and cooperation with Africa has become the long-term and steadfast strategic choice of China's diplomacy, which will not waver no matter how China may develop and the international landscape may evolve. As President Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech at the Summit, “China is the world's largest developing country, and Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries. The two sides will stay committed to strengthening unity and cooperation and working with each other along the path of win-win cooperation and common development.” President Xi Jinping also reiterated that China follows a "five-no" approach in our relations with Africa, i.e., no interference in African countries' pursuit of development paths that fit their national conditions; no interference in African countries' internal affairs; no imposition of our will on African countries; no attachment of political strings to assistance to Africa; and no seeking of selfish political gains in investment and financing cooperation with Africa. That is the unique statement of China’s policy on Africa. All in all, it is the peoples of China and Africa to judge the performance of the China-Africa cooperation.
H.E. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed was invited to participate in the FOCAC Beijing Summit and also paid his first official visit to China. His trip to China was very fruitful and successful. The Prime Minister held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman Li Zhanshu of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress respectively, and had in-depth exchanges of views on international, regional issues as well as bilateral relations. Chinese leaders reiterated that China regards Ethiopia as an important partner in Africa; supports Ethiopia’s pursuit of a development path that fits its own national conditions, and stood ready to continue the exchanges of high-level visits and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields. In particular, China will continue to encourage its companies to invest in Ethiopia, expand human resources development cooperation, promote transportation infrastructure projects, and advocate more Chinese tourists to visit Ethiopia. Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed called China a reliable friend in the course of Ethiopia's development, speaking highly of China's assistance as instrumental in Ethiopia’s economic transformation and development. He expressed his government’s willingness to make reference of China's experience in governance and development, and to further bilateral cooperation including active participation in the Belt and Road Initiative. The two sides have had in-depth discussions on issues of mutual interest and reached extensive consensus, pointing out the direction for further development of Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership between China and Ethiopia. During the visit, several cooperation agreements were signed between the two brotherly countries. As the first African co-chair of FOCAC, Ethiopia has made significant contribution to this evolving mechanism. In recent years, China-Ethiopia relationship has enjoyed holistic and rapid development with deepened reciprocal cooperation in every field. Last year, bilateral relationship was elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership. China has become Ethiopia’s largest trading partner and largest source of FDI. Meanwhile, Ethiopia has become a pilot and exemplary country for China-Africa production capacity cooperation, an important partner in the Belt and Road Initiative and a member of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). According to statistics, bilateral trade volume reached US$ 5.05 billion in 2017; the number of Chinese enterprises registered in Ethiopia has amounted to 1,210 by the end of 2017; China’s FDI to Ethiopia has exceeded US$ 4 billion, funding over 400 projects, with over 100 of which being joint ventures. In addition to economic cooperation on infrastructure and industrial parks, China has been committed to further human resources development in Ethiopia. Starting from 1950s, China has offered government scholarship to Ethiopian youths for study in China. By the end of 2017, the number of Ethiopian officials and experts trained in China under the framework of China Aid has reached the total of 6,121, among them 466 obtained master’s or doctorate degrees. During the first 8 months of 2018, a total of 1,232 Ethiopians went to China for short-term training programs in education, medical & health, agriculture, public administration, state governance, industrial manufacturing, investment & trade, tourism & culture, to name a few. Recently, Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed graced the occasion by his presence at the Chinese Government Training Program Fellowship Reception hosted by the Embassy of China, stating that “China had made outstanding contribution to the human resources development of Ethiopia”, and the huge potential and great prospect of Ethiopia-China cooperation. “Only the sky is the limit”, commented the Prime Minister. Ethiopia and China, two age-old civilizations, had suffered from foreign invasion and scored glorious victory against fascism in the modern history. Today, we have persistently dedicated ourselves to the national prosperity and rejuvenation. Similar historical woes and courses of struggle, and shared pursuit of our respective dreams, have forged a strong bond between our two countries. Ethiopia has always been a vigorous promoter and participant in all the fields of China-Africa cooperation. We are convinced that within the framework of FOCAC and propelled by the new momentum generated from the Beijing Summit, China-Ethiopia cooperation will be elevated to a new height, which would make greater contribution to the buildup of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future, bringing more benefits to our two peoples.
H.E. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed was invited to participate in the FOCAC Beijing Summit and also paid his first official visit to China. His trip to China was very fruitful and successful. The Prime Minister held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman Li Zhanshu of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress respectively, and had in-depth exchanges of views on international, regional issues as well as bilateral relations. Chinese leaders reiterated that China regards Ethiopia as an important partner in Africa; supports Ethiopia’s pursuit of a development path that fits its own national conditions, and stood ready to continue the exchanges of high-level visits and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields. In particular, China will continue to encourage its companies to invest in Ethiopia, expand human resources development cooperation, promote transportation infrastructure projects, and advocate more Chinese tourists to visit Ethiopia. Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed called China a reliable friend in the course of Ethiopia's development, speaking highly of China's assistance as instrumental in Ethiopia’s economic transformation and development. He expressed his government’s willingness to make reference of China's experience in governance and development, and to further bilateral cooperation including active participation in the Belt and Road Initiative. The two sides have had in-depth discussions on issues of mutual interest and reached extensive consensus, pointing out the direction for further development of Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership between China and Ethiopia. During the visit, several cooperation agreements were signed between the two brotherly countries. As the first African co-chair of FOCAC, Ethiopia has made significant contribution to this evolving mechanism. In recent years, China-Ethiopia relationship has enjoyed holistic and rapid development with deepened reciprocal cooperation in every field. Last year, bilateral relationship was elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership. China has become Ethiopia’s largest trading partner and largest source of FDI. Meanwhile, Ethiopia has become a pilot and exemplary country for China-Africa production capacity cooperation, an important partner in the Belt and Road Initiative and a member of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). According to statistics, bilateral trade volume reached US$ 5.05 billion in 2017; the number of Chinese enterprises registered in Ethiopia has amounted to 1,210 by the end of 2017; China’s FDI to Ethiopia has exceeded US$ 4 billion, funding over 400 projects, with over 100 of which being joint ventures. In addition to economic cooperation on infrastructure and industrial parks, China has been committed to further human resources development in Ethiopia. Starting from 1950s, China has offered government scholarship to Ethiopian youths for study in China. By the end of 2017, the number of Ethiopian officials and experts trained in China under the framework of China Aid has reached the total of 6,121, among them 466 obtained master’s or doctorate degrees. During the first 8 months of 2018, a total of 1,232 Ethiopians went to China for short-term training programs in education, medical & health, agriculture, public administration, state governance, industrial manufacturing, investment & trade, tourism & culture, to name a few. Recently, Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed graced the occasion by his presence at the Chinese Government Training Program Fellowship Reception hosted by the Embassy of China, stating that “China had made outstanding contribution to the human resources development of Ethiopia”, and the huge potential and great prospect of Ethiopia-China cooperation. “Only the sky is the limit”, commented the Prime Minister. Ethiopia and China, two age-old civilizations, had suffered from foreign invasion and scored glorious victory against fascism in the modern history. Today, we have persistently dedicated ourselves to the national prosperity and rejuvenation. Similar historical woes and courses of struggle, and shared pursuit of our respective dreams, have forged a strong bond between our two countries. Ethiopia has always been a vigorous promoter and participant in all the fields of China-Africa cooperation. We are convinced that within the framework of FOCAC and propelled by the new momentum generated from the Beijing Summit, China-Ethiopia cooperation will be elevated to a new height, which would make greater contribution to the buildup of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future, bringing more benefits to our two peoples.