Building a global community with a shared future

Zheng Zhuqiang,

This year is a significant one for the development of China-Africa relations. The 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held in China in September.

Under the theme "China and Africa: Toward an even stronger community with a shared future through win-win co-operation", leaders of China and 53 African countries and the chairperson of the African Union Commission will press ahead with the development of the FOCAC and to deepen China-Africa comprehensive strategic and co-operative partnership.

China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future. Sharing weal and woe, the Chinese and African peoples have forged deep friendship rooted in our similar historical colonisation experiences, development tasks and political aspirations.

In the era, when China was not well off, the older generations of leaders of China including Chairman Mao Zedong expressed that China ought to support Africa despite its own difficulties.

Nowadays, as China has developed, it should offer more help to Africa out of comradeship and strength.

China and Africa are sincere friends on the development path and natural partners in international affairs. Developing solidarity and co-operation with African countries is China's long-term and firm strategic choice.

No matter how the international landscape changes in the future, China will uphold the concept of policy towards Africa featuring sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith and the values of friendship, justice and shared interests.

China will always stand together with African countries and other vast number of developing countries and always remain a sincere friend and reliable partner of Africa.

China and Africa are friends tested by adversity. Such friends must never be forgotten.

The friendship between us becomes even firmer as time goes by and is absolutely unshakable by external instigation.

China-Africa co-operation is win-win cooperation. China has made tremendous contributions to Africa's economic and social development. The "new colonialism" theory is utterly baseless.

Africa is fully aware of who is a sincere friend and who has done real good deeds for Africa.

In Runyankore, a proverb goes as "When you visit a friend, you can see his attitude from whether he wants to cut the red banana for you or the bitter one." President Museveni recently stated in a press interview that "If Chinese want to colonise us, then they are not clever.

If you want to colonise, you do not empower. When someone helps you build a dam or railway, he will no longer be able to manage you."

When China develops well, Africa can develop smoothly. When Africa develops smoothly, China can develop better.

In our new endeavour to build a global community with a shared future, Africa is an indispensable partner.

China welcomes our African brothers and sisters to continue their ride on China's fast train of development. The upcoming FOCAC Beijing Summit will bring together Chinese capital, tech

nology, equipment and talent and Africa's natural resources, demographic dividends and market potential. New measures of co-operation are expected that will deliver more win-win results to both sides.

I am pleased to note that President Museveni has confirmed to attend the FOCAC Beijing Summit. President Xi Jinping and President Museveni will meet again within two months, after their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in South Africa, which will put strong impetus into developing China-Uganda relations.

I look forward to the two heads of state together with other leaders of FOCAC members drawing up a blueprint for furthering China-Africa friendship and co-operation and promoting our future development.

I have no doubt that, with the close collaboration of China and Africa, the FOCAC Beijing Summit will go down in history as another milestone in China-Africa relations.

The writer is the Chinese Ambassador to Uganda