CHINA: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan declared Tanzania’s readiness to showcase China-Africa socio-economic innovations.
President Samia made the commitment while addressing the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit yesterday.
Representing the Eastern Africa Region, Dr Samia highlighted the deepening partnership between China and Africa, which has significantly boosted trade and investment in recent years.
In her speech, President Samia commended China for its unwavering commitment to the promises made at the 8th FOCAC Ministerial Conference, particularly the Nine Programs.
Despite the economic setbacks from the Covid-19 pandemic, China’s dedication has been pivotal in achieving shared developmental goals.
“The impact of this collaboration is evident across our economies.
China has been a steadfast partner in combating poverty and advancing prosperity,” President Samia said, acknowledging China’s contributions to infrastructure, industrialization, and small and medium enterprises in the region.
As the summit celebrated progress, Presi dent Samia emphasized the importance of focusing on future directions.
Dr Samia quoted President Xi Jinping’s 2013 declaration in Durban: “The development of China-Africa ties can only be in the present continuous tense, and never in the present perfect tense.”
She expressed optimism about the FOCAC Beijing Action Plan 2025-2027, which aims to address the urgent needs of African nations and strengthen the partnership.
This year’s FOCAC meeting marks a de cade since President Xi Jinping outlined China’s Africa Strategy in Dar es Salaam.
“Tanzania and our colleagues in the East ern Africa Region are heartened to find out that the FOCAC Beijing Action Plan 2025-2027 intends to respond to the pressing needs of our nations,” Dr Samia told the meeting.
While commending the overall progress so far achieved, the Tanzanian leader said they also appreciate the announcement of further areas of partnership action on modernization to be taken by China and African countries, this partnership actions shall underpin China-Africa to deepen cooperation in various field and advances modernization together.
This year’s FOCAC meeting is taking place a decade after His Excellency President Xi Jin ping announced China’s Africa Strategy in Dar es Salaam during his maiden trip to Africa in 2013.
He put forward the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith as guiding principles for China’s cooperation with African countries.
Earlier, President of China, Xi Jinping, said that his nation stands ready to work with Africa to implement 10 partnership action plans to jointly advance modernisation.
One-third of the world’s population lives in China and Africa, and there will be no global modernisation without the modernisation of China and Africa, Xi said in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.
The 10 partnership action plans, to be implemented in the next three years, cover areas of mutual learning among civilisations, trade prosperity, industrial actions, he said the Chinese government will provide RMB360 billion yuan (equivalent to 118.028tri/-) of financial support through the next three years.
chain cooperation, connectivity, development cooperation, health, agriculture and livelihoods, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, green development and common security, he said.
Xi proposed that the overall characterisation of China-Africa relations be elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
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He also proposed that bilateral relations between China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China be elevated to the level of strategic relations.
To implement the ten partnership “This breaks down into RMB210 billion yuan (equivalent to 80.099tri/-) of credit line, RMB80 billion yuan (equivalent to 30.515tri/-) of assistance in various forms, and at least RMB70 billion yuan (26.701tri/-) of investment in Africa by Chinese companies.
In addition, China will encourage and support Africa in issuing panda bonds in China to enhance our results-oriented cooperation in all areas.