On May 17, 2016 local time, Director-General of Policy Planning Department of the Foreign Ministry Wang Yajun stated in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, that China will join hands with African countries to continue promoting the Tazara spirit and upholding the correct viewpoint of righteousness and benefit, and take the implementation of the results achieved in the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) as an opportunity to press forward with indomitable will so as to create a better future for China-Africa relations.

On the same day, the Policy Planning Department of the Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Zambia co-held at the National Museum of Zambia the book presentation of the English version of A Monument to China-Africa Friendship: First-hand Account of the Building of Tazara. H.E. Yang Youming, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, delivered a welcome speech. Wang Yajun made a keynote speech entitled “Uphold Correct Viewpoint of Righteousness and Benefit, Write A New Chapter of China-Africa Relations”. The book presentation attracted over 100 participants, including witness of Tazara, representatives from all walks of life in Zambia, and Chinese as well as foreign media. Mark Chona, special assistant to the first president of Zambia Kenneth David Kaunda, attended the book presentation on behalf of the president who was unable to come back to Zambia for some reason.

Yang Youming expressed that Director-General Wang Yajun and his colleagues organized a special trip to take part in the book presentation in Zambia, which represents that Tazara occupies a lofty position in our hearts. Holding the book presentation is, on the one hand, to look back on the magnificent history of assisting the Tazara construction, and on the other hand to hope for further promotion of the Tazara spirit as well as better and faster development of China-Zambia and China-Africa traditional friendship in the new period.

Wang Yajun stated that in the 1960s, with farsighted view and extraordinary courage, leaders of China, Tanzania, and Zambia jointly made a strategic decision to build the Tazara under China’s assistance. The railway is honored as the freedom railway that helped African people gain national independence and liberation, and the friendship railway that represents the ever-lasting friendship between the Chinese and African people, erecting an enduring monument in the history of China-Africa relations.

Wang Yajun pointed out that the history of assisting the building of the Tazara is not only a testimony to Chinese and African people’s sharing weal and woe but also a reflection of China’s international spirit of selfless contribution and awareness of morality and justice, becoming the inexhaustible impetus of pushing stable development of China-Africa relations. In 2013, President Xi Jinping chose Africa as the destination of his first overseas visit and pointed out that we should promote the Tazara spirit as well as cherish and protect China-Africa traditional friendship. During his visit in Africa, President Xi Jinping put forward the policy toward Africa featuring sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith and stressed that we should stick to the correct viewpoint of righteousness and benefit, adding new epoch connotations to China-Africa traditional friendship. At the opening ceremony of the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit last December, President Xi Jinping emphasized that the biggest “righteousness” in China-Africa relations is to help Africa develop with China’s development and eventually realize mutual benefit, win-win results and common development. Those ideas are in line with the Tazara spirit and have become the guiding principles for China to develop relations with Africa in the new period.

Wang Yajun pointed out that this year is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Africa diplomatic relations as well as the 40th anniversary of the overall completion of the Tazara construction and the official hand-over of the railway to Tanzanian and Zambian governments, so it is of great significance to bring the English version of A Monument to China-Africa Friendship to African friends. It is the common historical responsibility for China and Africa to inherit the Tazara spirit and add a new chapter to China-Africa friendly cooperation. In the new situation, China will continue to promote the Tazara spirit, stick to justice, fairness, and equal treatment, insist in win-win cooperation and common development, and adhere to the balance between righteousness and benefit with the priority given to righteousness. China will join hands with African friends to take the implementation of the results achieved in the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit as an opportunity to push China-Africa cooperation to a new height and create a better future for China-Africa relations.

Deputy Defense Minister of Zambia Christopher Mulenga, as representative of the Zambian government, stated in his speech that this year marks the 47th anniversary of the groundbreaking of Tazara and the publishing of A Monument to China-Africa Friendship is very welcomed in Zambia. This book let them realize more deeply that Africa and China can accomplish a lot with a clear and definite goal in their cooperation. The Tazara, praised as the railway of freedom and friendship, has made great contributions to the development and revitalization of the Eastern and Southern African regions and the whole Africa at large. In the process of assisting the Tazara construction, the people of China, Tanzania, and Zambia have forged the great Tazara spirit. The three countries have been linked closely by this spirit containing mutual respect and equality ever since. Currently, China and Africa are both at the key stage of development. Africa is becoming a fast growing continent with big strides on the path of achieving its own development goal, while China is endeavoring to realize the dream of national rejuvenation. Both sides need to inherit and develop the Tazara spirit and inject new impetus into Africa-China cooperation.

Former Foreign Minister Vernon Mwaanga of Zambia, who had participated in the decision-making process of building the Tazara, also attended the book presentation and delivered a speech. He expressed that thousands of people from China, Tanzania, and Zambia had made a lot of efforts and hard work in the Tazara construction, and many of them even sacrificed their lives. It is hoped that the book will become their everlasting legacy for the future generations. Their hard work and lives will not go in vain and the Zambian people will always be deeply grateful to them. As former ambassador of Zambia to the United Nations (UN), Vernon Mwaanga said with excitement that when China resumed its legitimate seat at the UN in 1971, he was the first speaker at the UN General Assembly on behalf of African countries to welcome the Chinese delegation. He has paid 19 visits to China and holds profound feelings towards China.

Wang Yajun also paid a special visit to former President Rupiah Bwezani Banda of Zambia and gave him A Monument to China-Africa Friendship as a present. President Rupiah Bwezani Banda stated that it was a right way for the first president of Zambia Kenneth David Kaunda to choose to develop friendly cooperative relations with China and fight with China for fairness and justice on international stages like the UN. Under the guidance of visionary leaders of older generations of Zambia and China, the two peoples have been enjoying friendly relations from generation to generation through thick and thin. Zambia couldn’t have achieved today’s development without China’s selfless assistance over the years and the close cooperation between Zambia and China. The assistance to the building of the Tazara is the very symbol of the traditional friendship between the two countries. The editing and publishing of A Monument to China-Africa Friendship enable the young people to know where the friendship comes from. Only with deep understanding of the history of Zambia-China friendship can both countries better plan a bright future for their relations.

A Monument to China-Africa Friendship: First-hand Account of the Building of Tazara is compiled by the Policy Planning Department of the Foreign Ministry and is published by the World Affairs Press. The Chinese version has 220, 000 words, consisting of two parts— document literature and compilation of dictation by the witnesses. The English and French versions only include the compilation of dictation. The book vividly presents the historical process of Tazara construction, from decision-making, inspecting, designing, constructing to hand-over. It provides a lively textbook for the retrospection of the history of China-Africa friendly cooperation, and also offers a new opportunity to look forward into the future of China-Africa comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.