China-Africa relations set model for South-South cooperation
By Bai Yang, Liu Lingling from People’s Daily
China-Africa relations have set a model for the solidarity and cooperation between China and developing countries, as well as the best example for South-South cooperation, diplomats, experts and scholars told People’s Daily ahead of the upcoming 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
The summit to be held in Beijing from September 3 to 4 will provide new opportunities for China and Africa to align each other’s development strategies and build a closer community of common destiny, they added.
Placing high importance on the development of relations with African countries, China will always stand together with Africa and other developing countries, and will be a sincere friend and reliable partner of Africa forever, no matter how the international landscape changes, and no matter how much progress China has made in development, China pledged previously.
The principle of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests and the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 for China’s relations with Africa were welcomed by the latter, said Xu Jinghu, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on African Affairs.
The concepts serve as the guiding philosophy for China in its endeavors to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with developing countries, expressed Xu, adding that China-Africa relations have become a role model for cooperation between China and developing countries, as well as South-South cooperation.
During the past 18 years since the establishment of the FOCAC, the mechanism has constantly progressed to deeper levels and broader directions, said He Yafei, former Vice Foreign Minister of China.
He, also a senior researcher with Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies under Renmin University of China, pointed out that the FOCAC has become an important platform for collective dialogue and pragmatic cooperation between China and African countries.
In addition to economic and trade cooperation, the Beijing Summit will see deepening and expanding China-Africa cultural and people-to-people exchanges, said He, adding that the Summit will inject more vitality into bilateral friendship.
Under the framework of the FOCAC, China and African countries have established many sub-forums covering a variety of aspects including industry, agriculture, law, education, culture, and art, according to Liu Guijin, former Special Representative of the Chinese Government for African Affairs, former Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, and former Chinese Ambassador to South Africa.
The sub-forums of the FOCAC have continuously pushed China-Africa relations to new heights, Liu said, adding that the forum has brought benefits to both China and Africa.
The FOCAC has witnessed a process of mutual consultation, joint construction, and benefit sharing between China and Africa. The proposal to hold the Forum was first put forward by African countries, and China has been consulting with African countries for their opinions when it was to hold the events, said Liu.
According to Zhou Yuxiao, China’s Ambassador for Affairs of the FOCAC, new policies will be introduced at the Beijing Summit to effectively align the Belt and Road Initiative with the African Union Agenda 2063, so as to promote the deep integration of the Chinese dream and the African dream, thus building a closer China-Africa community of common destiny.
The construction of the Belt and Road has provided a broader platform for China-Africa cooperation, said Zhou, indicating that China and Africa have laid a foundation for cooperation in achieving infrastructure and financial connectivity, and the upcoming summit will attract more countries to join the construction of the Belt and Road.
Calling the construction of Belt and Road and the FOCAC as two “legs” and “engines” of China-Africa cooperation, Zhou said that China-Africa cooperation will walk faster in a steady manner with the “legs”, and will fly higher and further thanks to the “engines”.
African countries are now committed to pushing forward industrialization and modernization, Zhou pointed out, saying that the Beijing Summit will formulate priority areas and key directions for China-Africa cooperation with special considerations given to meet the needs of Africa’s economic transformation and upgrading.
The policies to be worked out at the Beijing Summit will help Africa nurture its capacity for independent development, thus accelerating its marches towards industrialization and modernization, said Zhou.
He believes that with the concerted efforts, the Beijing Summit of the FOCAC will become a milestone event in the history of China-Africa relations.
中非关系，南南合作的样板
人民日报记者 白 阳 刘玲玲
2018年中非合作论坛北京峰会将于9月3日至4日举行。接受本报记者采访的外交界人士和专家学者表示，中非关系已经成为中国同发展中国家团结合作的典范、南南合作的样板。即将举行的中非合作论坛北京峰会将为中国与非洲对接发展战略、构建更加紧密的中非命运共同体提供新机遇。
中国一直以来高度重视发展同非洲国家的关系。无论国际风云如何变幻，无论中国发展到哪一步，中国始终同非洲等广大发展中国家站在一起，永远做非洲的真诚朋友和可靠伙伴。中国政府非洲事务特别代表许镜湖在接受本报记者采访时表示，2013年，习近平主席提出真实亲诚的对非政策理念和正确义利观，受到非洲国家热烈欢迎。近年来，这一理念已经上升为中国加强同发展中国家团结合作的总体指导原则。中非关系已经成为中国同发展中国家团结合作的典范、南南合作的样板。
外交部前副部长、中国人民大学重阳金融研究院高级研究员何亚非表示，中非合作论坛成立18年来，中非合作论坛机制不断向更深和更广的方向发展，成为中国同非洲国家开展集体对话、进行务实合作的重要平台。此次北京峰会上，除经贸合作外，中非文化交流、民心相通将进一步深化和拓展，中非友谊之树将愈加枝繁叶茂。
曾任中国政府非洲事务特别代表、中国驻津巴布韦、南非大使的刘贵今表示，在中非合作论坛框架下，中国和非洲国家还设立了很多分论坛，涵盖工业、农业、法律、教育、文化、艺术等方方面面，这些都推动中非关系不断迈上新台阶。中非合作论坛让中非双方受益，举办论坛的提议最早是由非洲国家提出的，正式举办论坛过程中，中方也一直在征求非洲国家的意见，这是一个共商、共建、共享的过程。
外交部中非合作论坛事务大使周欲晓表示，2018年中非合作论坛北京峰会将就中非开展新的合作提出新的政策措施，推动“一带一路”倡议与非盟《2063年议程》有效对接，促进中国梦和非洲梦深度融合，推动构建更加紧密的中非命运共同体。
周欲晓说，“一带一路”建设为中非合作提供了更加宽阔的平台。中非之间在设施联通、资金融通等方面已经有了合作基础，此次将有更多国家参与到“一带一路”建设中。“一带一路”建设和中非合作论坛可以被喻为中非合作的“两条腿”，“两条腿”走路自然更稳更快；也可以被喻为飞机的两台“发动机”，将助力中非合作飞得又高又远，中非将在更高水平上开展有效合作。
当前，非洲国家致力于工业化和现代化进程，此次北京峰会将拟定未来中非合作的优先领域和重点方向，尤其是契合非洲经济转型升级的需要，助力非洲培育形成自主发展能力，加快其工业化和现代化进程。在中非双方共同努力下，中非合作论坛北京峰会必将成为中非关系史上具有里程碑意义的盛会。
