Chinese and African Leaders Enjoy Profound Friendship

I have been engaged in China's diplomacy with Africa for over 3 decades. I was deeply impressed by the fact that Chinese leaders treat African leaders as equal partners and establish sincere friendship with them.

The arm of former President Jiang Zemin was sunburned.

In 1996, Comrade Jiang Zemin visited Africa. It was very hot when he arrived in Mali. The open car was not arranged at the beginning. But the local people were passionate and they lined both sides of the street to welcome him. Jiang decided to open the top and wave to greet the crowd. It was a long way. When the Chinese delegation arrived at the hotel, one arm of President Jiang was found sunburned.

During his trip to Namibia, Comrade Jiang asked Namibia's President Sam Nujoma to convey his greetings to Nujoma's 90-year-old mother, by which President Nujoma was deeply touched.

The capital of Gabon turned out to welcome President Hu Jintao.

Obiang, President of Equatorial Guinea, visited China in October 2005. When he returned, he once talked to Chinese ambassador, saying that President Hu Jintao left him with deep impression. Obiang mentioned that President Hu listened attentively to his introduction to the development situation of Equatorial Guinea and his ideas on promoting urban construction. President Hu immediately asked the leaders from China's Ministry of Commerce to respond. Obiang was deeply moved by the unbiased attitude and the pragmatic style of President Hu Jintao.

In February 2004, President Hu Jintao visited Gabon. The scene was touching. The whole city of Libreville, capital of Gabon, turned out to welcome President Hu. Some of them were organized while the majority of them came out voluntarily. President Omar Bongo is an old friend of Chinese leaders for generations. He visited China at least 8 times. President Hu's visit to Gabon in 2004 is the first visit to Gabon by Chinese leaders.

Premier Wen Jiabao had 15 bilateral meetings in 30 hours

In December 2003, Premier Wen Jiabao visited Ethiopia to attend the 3rd Minister's Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. He could stay there for only 30 hours. Besides the 3rd Minister's Meeting, Premier Wen also had 15 bilateral meetings with African leaders. For the whole day, Premier Wen only got 40 minutes of break.

African countries, peoples and leaders hold profound feeling to China. To a larger degree, it is related to the attitude of Chinese leaders of establishing sincere friendship with Africa and treating African countries as equal partners.

President Eyadema of Togo dispatched a special plane to bring back the medal of honor for Vice President Zeng Qinghong.

Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong visited Togo in 2004. Gnassingbe Eyadema, then President of Togo, is an old friend of the Chinese people. He honored Zeng with the highest courteous reception and proposed holding a public welcome ceremony for Zeng in his hometown Kara, where he would confer a medal of honor for Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong.

The banquet would be followed by the conferring ceremony. But the banquet delayed for 3 hours and the reason was not explained. It turned out to be that the people responsible for courteous reception forgot the medal in the capital of Togo, which is 400 kilometers away from Kara. Zeng said that the conferring ceremony could be held when he got back to the capital. But President Eyadema insisted upon completing the ceremony in his hometown, saying that he had instructed his defense minister to dispatch a special plane to take the medal. Finally, the conferring ceremony was completed in the hometown of President Eyadema.

China and Africa Have Never Estranged Each Other.

Development course of China-Africa relationship over the past 5 decades

At the early stage when the People's Republic of China was founded, our relationship with Africa borne the features of that age. We supported African countries in their struggle for independence and national liberation and in their endeavor for developing economy and safeguarding sovereignty after gaining independence.

Tanzania-Zambia Railway is a typical project of that age. It should be said that the relations between China and Africa and the economic and trade cooperation between the two sides were not complex.

However, with the development of Africa and China, there were some changes taking place. China is entering a stage of developing market economy, in which major players are enterprises. These changes have added new contents and possibilities to China-Africa relations and the main features of these changes become more enriched and diversified on the existing basis.

China and Africa are never estranged.

Some believe that the main content of China-Africa relations is China's assistance to Africa and China also needs self-development and capitals. Therefore, China and Africa become estranged. But it is not so in reality.

In fact, the Chinese government has made it clear that China's assistance to Africa increases every year. For example, China's African Policy Paper identifies nearly 30 areas of cooperation between China and Africa, which is unimaginable in the 1950s. Thus the path of China-Africa cooperation will become wider and wider.

From late 1963 to early 1964, Premier Zhou Enlai paid a visit to 10 African countries, putting forward the five principles governing the development of relations with African and Arab countries and the eight principles governing China's foreign assistance. In the early 1980s, China put forward the four principles of "equality and mutual benefit, pursuing practical results, adopting various ways and seeking common development." During his trip to Africa in 1996, President Jiang Zemin recommended five principles for the development of a stable and long-term China-Africa relationship of comprehensive cooperation for the 21st century, which are as follows: "establishing sincere friendship, treating each other as equals, engaging in unity and cooperation, seeking common development and facing the future",

During his trip to Africa in February 2004, President Hu Jintao put forward three proposals for the development of China-Africa relations, which are "maintaining traditional friendship and promoting a new China-Africa partnership; adhering to mutual assistance and mutual benefit and promoting common development; maintaining close collaboration and safeguarding the interests of developing countries."

In addition to the above principles and proposals, China issued the African Policy Paper, which identifies that China will devote itself to developing a new type of cooperative partnership featuring political equality and mutual trust, economic cooperation and win-win results, and reciprocal cultural exchanges.

The international Community shows great interest in China's African policy.

There is no essential difference to the relations between China and Africa judging from the principles and spirit of China's African policy.

China issued the Africa Policy Paper in a bid to consolidate and strengthen relations with African countries and expand cooperation with Africa in all areas in the new situation. In the meantime, China hopes to better demonstrate China's policy and position toward Africa to the international community.