On the evening of July 26, 2010, Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo attended the welcome banquet hosted by Zambian Vice-President George Kunda in honor of his visit to Zambia. Dai delivered a speech on China-Zambia and China-Africa relations.

Dai said that Zambia is an important and influential country on the continent of Africa and is a good friend, brother and partner of China in Africa. The Zambian government and people have been long pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, have overcome various risks and challenges all the way, and have maintained political stability, economic harmony and racial harmony all the time. The Zambian people, under the leadership of President Rupiah Banda and the Zambian government, braved difficulties and kept economy stable and growing at a relatively fast rate despite the tough challenges arising from the international financial crisis last year.

Dai said that in the last decade China-Africa relations witnessed substantial development. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was created and grew with far-reaching influence. Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was successfully held. The relationship between China and Africa in all fronts including politics, economy and culture grew profoundly. The pragmatic cooperation reached unprecedented width and depth. The trade volume grew exponentially from USD10 billion to a historical level of USD100 billion. The people-to-people exchanges became more frequent. The mutual understanding and friendship got deeper. All these are the result of the concerted efforts of generations of Chinese and African people.

Dai said that the basic standing and starting point of China’s foreign policy is always based on the solidarity and cooperation with developing countries including African countries. This is due to the common historical sufferings, militant friendship, development tasks and strategic interest. He said that China respects the sovereignty of African countries and the development paths they choose, never interferes in their internal affairs, treats them as equals, and conducts cooperation with them on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win results. China provides Africa with sincere and friendly assistance with no political conditions affiliated and always believes that the assistance and support between China and Africa are mutual. China always integrates its own development into the development of Africa and advances the development of African countries with its own development.

Dai believes that the most important foundation for the constant development of China-Africa cooperation is to inherit and grow the traditional friendship and adhere to the principles of mutual respect, equal treatment, mutual benefit and win-win results. The fundamental means is to expand and deepen equal and mutually-beneficial cooperation and fulfill the grand goals of China’s and Africa’s development and rejuvenation. The most urgent task is to improve the livelihood of African people, improve the self-development capability of Africa, and execute the UN millennium development goals. The long-lasting driver is to increase people-to-people exchange, learn development experiences from each other, conduct human resources training, increase mutual understanding and cultivate young generations who know each other and treat each other as friends. The most important thing is to keep abreast with the times and spearhead innovation.

Dai believed that the giant ship of the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership, which was established on the basis of solid friendship and common interest, will ride on the crest of the waves toward a brighter future for the benefit of the people of China, Africa and the world at large.