Riding the wind and moving towards the new -- starting a new journey of China-Africa modernization

Original title: Riding the Wind and Moving Towards the New -- Embarking on a New Journey of China-Africa Modernization

Xinhua News Agency reporters Han Liang, Qiao Jihong, Su Liang

In Beijing in early autumn, the wind is refreshing, the sky is far away, and the earth is colorful. In the harvest season and in the eyes of the world, the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has yielded fruitful results.

"Looking to the future, I propose to elevate China's bilateral relations with all African countries that have diplomatic ties to the level of strategic relations, and elevate the overall positioning of China-Africa relations to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era!"

President Xi Jinping announced this exciting news at the opening ceremony of the summit and issued a sincere call for further upgrading China-Africa friendship and cooperation, which resonated strongly on the African continent.

This is a new chapter in friendship: the China-Africa friendship family will reunite in Beijing after six years, allowing the big ship of friendship to sail through the baptism of time, carrying a profound history and new dreams, and sailing to a wider water.

This is a new starting point for cooperation: China-Africa relations have entered a new stage, making the path of common development and win-win cooperation wider and wider, making the "Global South" more sonorous and powerful in its march towards modernization, and gathering surging momentum for promoting the modernization of the world.

This is a new prospect for the development of human society: China and Africa will work together with the times, send out a strong message of the times to participate in and lead the reform of the global governance system, strengthen the power of world peace and international justice, demonstrate the mission of the "Global South" to unite and strengthen itself, and contribute wisdom to the progress of human civilization.

A new vision for China-Africa cooperation

On September 5th, the Great Hall of the People in Beijing was full of friends and the atmosphere was warm. The emblem of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) "Holding Hands" shone brightly, and the flag array composed of the Chinese national flag, the flags of more than 50 African countries and the African Union was magnificent.

In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony, President Xi Jinping proposed that China and Africa should work together to promote the "Six Modernizations", and will implement the 10 partnership actions of China and Africa to jointly promote modernization, so as to inject new impetus into the development of China-Africa cooperation at a higher level, deeper level and wider field.

"The dream of China and Africa jointly pursuing modernization will surely set off a modernization boom in the Global South and write a new chapter in building a community with a shared future for mankind." The firm words demonstrated the courage and responsibility to lead the progress of history, and won long-lasting applause.

China and Africa share a common destiny and start a new journey of cooperation. The more than 2.8 billion Chinese and African people have joined hands and taken new steps on the road of development, revitalization and modernization.

This is a painting that looks far away. After nearly 70 years of hard work, China-Africa relations are at their best in history. At this critical stage of China-Africa development, the bilateral relations have once again achieved a new leap forward. From a new type of partnership, to a comprehensive strategic partnership, to an all-weather community with a shared future in the new era, China-Africa relations have been continuously improved, with clearer positioning and richer connotations. This demonstrates the firm will of the Chinese and African people to stand together through thick and thin and walk hand in hand in the midst of the changes in the world in a century.

It's a step forward with the times. Over the past 24 years since its establishment, especially since the beginning of the new era, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has become a "golden signboard" for China-Africa cooperation and a banner for leading international cooperation with Africa and deepening cooperation in the "Global South". During the Beijing Summit, President Xi Jinping put forward a series of major initiatives on China-Africa joint efforts to promote modernization, which were widely recognized by African leaders and formed a political consensus between China and Africa, marking the deepening of China and Africa's understanding of the laws governing modernization and the growing historical consciousness of controlling their own destiny.

"In the memory of all African peoples, no country has ever carried out such extensive, in-depth and promising cooperation with us as China," said Foreign Minister Gakoso of the Republic of the Congo, lamenting that Africa-China cooperation has changed the destiny of Africa and "will surely go down in history as a model of international cooperation."

This is a platform for convergence of synergies. Over the past 60 years, under the banner of pan-Africanism, African countries have made great strides along the path of independence, joint self-reliance and integration. In the context of the new era, strengthening the integrity of China-Africa cooperation, achieving regional integration and enhancing cohesion are crucial for the real rise of the African continent. Driven by the common concern of President Xi Jinping and African leaders, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has become increasingly representative and influential, which will not only help promote the process of African integration, but also drive the international community to increase its attention and investment in Africa, providing solid support for the African continent's take-off.

Bethat · Trenkmann, UNDP Representative in China, said there is a saying in Africa, "Go fast alone, go far together". Developing countries often face similar problems and challenges, and it is very important to learn from each other, and "the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation provides such a platform".

Nigerian President Tinubu said that the success of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation shows that global development is not a zero-sum game. "By working together, we can create more opportunities for growth and achieve mutual prosperity."

Inject new momentum into the dream of modernization

On September 4, President Xi Jinping, President Hassan of Tanzania and President Hichilema of Zambia witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Activation Project at the Great Hall of the People. With applause and anticipation, this road of friendship, which bears witness to the history of China and Africa, is about to be rejuvenated and accelerate towards modernization.

In the past and at present, China and Africa have been pioneers in building a community with a shared future, and will work together to be at the forefront of the modernization process in the future. The Beijing Summit has connected dreams with reality and made the blueprint for China-Africa modernization clearer.

President Xi Jinping put forward the 10 major partnership actions for China and Africa to work together to promote modernization, covering mutual learning among civilizations, trade prosperity, industrial chain cooperation, connectivity, development cooperation, health care, agriculture and benefiting the people, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, green development, and security co-construction, etc., painting a new picture of the "Global South" moving towards modernization, reflecting the common aspirations of the Chinese and African people, and receiving enthusiastic responses from people from all walks of life in Africa.

President Akufo-Addo of Ghana said that the recommendations of the 10 Partnership Initiatives are "extremely forward-looking" and that Canada is willing to work with China to actively implement them. President Sassou of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) said that the "Ten Partnership Actions" have raised Africa-China solidarity and cooperation to a new height; Somali President Mahmoud spoke highly of President Xi Jinping's major initiative to jointly promote the modernization of Africa and China, saying that it "meets the common aspirations of the people of Africa and the world for peace and development".

The Beijing Summit adopted the Beijing Declaration on Building an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future in the New Era and the Beijing Action Plan of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) (2025-2027), and held four high-level meetings on governance, industrialization and agricultural modernization, peace and security, and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Botswana President Masisi said: "I believe that the vision outlined in this forum summit will be realized. ”

Zambian President Hichilema called on African and Chinese enterprises to strengthen technical cooperation at the opening ceremony of the 8th China-Africa Entrepreneurs Conference on the 6th. Who is a better partner in the energy sector? Who can provide advanced solar power technology? He told African entrepreneurs: "That's your Chinese counterpart!" ”

On the afternoon of September 6, Uganda's Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Frank · Tomwibadze, had a sharing session with Chinese students on "Understanding Uganda's Agricultural and Rural Development Transformation". "China-Africa agricultural cooperation has provided Uganda with a great deal of technical training and talent development, which is essential for Uganda's food security and agricultural modernization," he said.

President Xi Jinping said: "No one should be left behind on the road to modernization, and no country should be left behind. "China and Africa account for one-third of the world's population, and without the modernization of Central Africa, there will be no modernization of the world. Taking the Beijing Summit as a new starting point, China-Africa cooperation will move forward in a new direction, and will achieve new results in many fields such as promoting industrialization and agricultural modernization of African countries, cooperation in production and supply chains, addressing climate change, promoting youth development, and improving people's livelihood and well-being, which will also bring new hope for promoting world economic recovery and promoting common development.

Exploring a new future for the Global South

"The China-Africa partnership is a major pillar of global South-South cooperation, and the joint efforts of China and Africa will create new momentum for the development of the African continent." At the opening ceremony of the summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke positively of the importance of the China-Africa partnership to the development of the "Global South".

The exploration of the road to modernization is inseparable from the guidance of ideas and concepts, and the sharing and exchange of knowledge and experience. Governance exchanges are an important theme of the summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and it also provides intellectual support and wisdom inspiration for the "Global South" to work together towards modernization.

At the summit, President Xi Jinping announced that China is ready to work with Africa to build a platform for the exchange of experience in China-Africa governance, and set up a China-Africa development knowledge network and 25 China-Africa research centers. Relying on the African Leadership Institute to cultivate talents in governance, 1,000 African political parties will be invited to China for exchanges, and the two sides will deepen the exchange of experience in governing the party and the country. A series of pragmatic measures have received positive responses from the guests and people from all walks of life in Africa.

Tanzanian President Hassan said that the Tanzanian Revolutionary Party has a deep fraternal friendship with the Communist Party of China, and Tanzania is willing to make good use of the Nyerere Leadership Institute to deepen party building training and exchange of experience in governance with the Chinese side, and continuously expand practical cooperation in various fields. Senegalese President Faye said that the Senegalese side is willing to learn from China's successful experience in governing the party and the country, and promote cooperation in agriculture, industry, digitalization, vocational training, youth and other fields.

Many African leaders who came to China to participate in the Beijing Summit took the opportunity to visit various parts of China and experience Chinese modernization in an "immersive" way. South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Shenzhen and praised the scientific and technological innovation capabilities of Chinese enterprises. Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa visited villages in Hunan to inspect China's new rural construction and agricultural modernization. In the miracle of China's development, more and more African countries see their own future and gain the confidence and strength to pursue their dreams.

The successful convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has made systematic arrangements for further deepening reform in an all-round way and promoting Chinese-style modernization, and has also provided new inspiration for African countries to explore a path of modernization that suits their own realities.

Ngoulaid, general secretary of the ANC Youth Alliance in South Africa, said that Chinese modernization has provided Africa with a "window of opportunity" for common development, and that China and Africa have had similar historical experiences, and now that they have succeeded through independent development, "it is now Africa's turn to act."

Luther · Talpe, national chairman of the Liberian Solidarity Party, said that after returning to China, he will hold an internal party meeting to study how to apply the experience of China's modernization to "our own environment" based on the observations and gains from his trip to China.

This is a new awakening of the African continent, and it is also a common issue for the "Global South": how can the vast number of developing countries learn from the beneficial experience of other countries on the premise of maintaining their own cultural traditions and explore an independent and realistic path to modernization.

Not long ago, President Xi Jinping replied to scholars from 50 African countries, encouraging them to continue to provide intellectual support for building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future and safeguarding the common interests of the Global South. From the China-Africa Think Tank Forum to the China-Africa Youth Leaders Forum to the China-Africa Conference on Dialogue of Civilizations, China and Africa are stepping up research and exploration on development cooperation among countries in the "Global South", so as to strengthen and develop the "Global South" and inject lasting strength into promoting the development of a more balanced international balance of power.

During the summit, China and Africa continued to call for defending the legitimate interests of developing countries and promoting international fairness and justice, jointly advocated an equal and orderly multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization, and pledged to jointly implement and implement the three global initiatives, uphold international fairness and justice, and improve the global governance system, demonstrating the firm confidence of the "Global South" in solidarity and cooperation, and lighting up the "Southern moment" of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

"I believe that as long as the more than 2.8 billion Chinese and African people work together in the same direction, they will be able to create brilliance on the road to modernization, lead the vigorous development of the modernization cause of the Global South, and make greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind." President Xi Jinping's firm and powerful words have injected new connotations into the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future, and gathered the majestic strength of solidarity and cooperation between the Chinese and African peoples.

Ride the wind and move towards the new. With a common dream, China and Africa will join hands and stride forward on the journey of modernization, which will surely draw a new picture in the history of human development and jointly promote the world towards a bright future of peace, security, prosperity and progress.

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 8)

Source: Xinhua News Agency