Seize the Opportunity of Beijing Summit of FOCAC to Usher in a New Area for China-Africa Cooperation
以北京峰会为契机，开创中非合作新时代
The Nation Newspaper Published a Signed Article by Chinese Ambassador to Kenya H.E. Amb. Sun Baohong
驻肯尼亚大使孙保红在肯第一大报《民族日报》发表署名文章
3 September 2018
2018年9月3日
Today, Beijing wins the world’s attention again. The 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held today and tomorrow. After three years, on the theme of “China and Africa: toward an even stronger community with a shared future through win-win cooperation,” the leaders of China and African countries are gathering together again to discuss plans for the development of China-Africa cooperation.
今天，全世界都将焦点对准了北京。今明两天，中非合作论坛峰会在这里举行，中非领导人三年后重新聚首，围绕峰会“合作共赢，携手构建更加紧密的中非命运共同体”这一主题，共商新时代中非合作大计。
Since 2000, I have been engaged in every session of FOCAC, and witnessed the whole process of its growth from startup to today’s maturity. I still remember that 18 years ago, when it’s at the turn of the millennium and the century, at the proposal of African countries, the ministerial meeting of FOCAC was held in Beijing, ushering in a new trail of China-Africa collective dialogue for seeking common development. Over the past 18 years, the scale and influence of FOCAC, along with the cooperation between China and African countries has been continuously expanded. Under FOCAC, more and more measures have been taken to boost common development. FOCAC has become a significant platform for collective dialogue between China and African countries, and a leading mechanism for international cooperation with Africa and south-south cooperation. Over the recent five years in particular, under the support of FOCAC and with the joint efforts of China and African countries, China-Africa relations have made great progress and gained practical results, bringing tangible benefits to people of both sides.
自2000年第一届论坛成立至今，我每一届都参与其中，亲身经历了论坛从无到有、从小到大、从成长到成熟的全过程。仍记得18年前，正值千年更替、世纪之交，在非洲国家的提议下，由中国倡导举办的“中非合作论坛部长级会议”在北京召开，开启了中非集体对话、谋求共同发展的全新尝试。18年来，论坛规模持续扩大，合作全面拓展，举措持续增多,影响显著提升，已成为中非集体对话合作的重要平台和引领国际对非合作、提升南南合作的一面旗帜。特别是近5年来，在论坛的引领下和中非双方共同努力下，中非关系获得长足发展，取得一大批实实在在的合作成果，给中非人民带来了看得见、摸得着的福祉。
China-Africa strategic mutual trust has scaled to new heights. The past five years have witnessed the unprecedentedly frequent China-Africa high-level exchanges and the continuously strengthened political guidance. Chinese President Xi Jinping and over 30 Chinese leaders have paid visit to Africa, and more than 60 African heads of state and government have visited China or attended international conferences in China. The partnership between China and African countries has been constantly enhanced. China has established strategic partnership or comprehensive cooperative partnership with 24 African countries, and the China-Africa relations have been upgraded from a new-type of China-Africa strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
一是中非战略互信迈上新高度。5年来，中非高层交往空前频繁，政治引领不断加强。习近平主席等30余位中方领导人访非，非洲国家元首或政府首脑等60多人次来华访问或出席国际会议。中国同非洲国家的伙伴关系体系建设不断完善，迄今已同24个非洲国家建立了战略伙伴或全面合作伙伴关系，中非关系定位由新型战略伙伴关系提升为全面战略合作伙伴关系。
China-Africa pragmatic cooperation has reached a new stage. In 2017, China-Africa trade volume was 170 billion USD. China has become Africa’s first trading partner for nine consecutive years. China’s investment in Africa has exceeded 100 billion USD, more than one hundred times compared with that in 2000. Nowadays, there are over 3,200 Chinese enterprises in Africa. A batch of strategic projects have been carried out smoothly. The demonstration and cluster effects of China-Africa production capacity cooperation are becoming more and more prominent. The China-Africa cooperation has been transformed from government-oriented to market-oriented, upgraded from trade of goods to capacity cooperation, and from project contracting to investment and operation.
二是中非务实合作焕发新光彩。2017年，中非贸易额达1700亿美元，中国连续九年成为非洲第一大贸易伙伴国。中国在非各类投资超1000亿美元，较2000年增长上百倍；中国在非企业超3200家。一大批战略项目顺利推进，中非产能合作示范和集群效应凸显。中非合作正在从政府主导向市场运作转型、从商品贸易向产能合作升级、从工程承包向投资运营迈进。
China-Africa people-to-people cooperation is taking on a new look. Cultural exchanges between China and Africa are more and more active and people-to-people bond is closer than ever. Over the past five years, more than 100 activities on cultural exchanges were carried out between China and African countries and more than 200 cultural cooperation projects were operated. Currently, China has established 54 Confucius Institutes and 27 Confucius classrooms in 41 African countries. In 2017, the number of African tourists to China was 628.3 thousand, an increase of 4.4% compared with last year. And Over one million Chinese tourists travelled to Africa.
三是中非人文合作呈现新气象。中非人文交流日趋活跃，人民情感纽带更加紧密。5年来，中非已举办百余场人文交流活动，实施200多个人文合作项目。目前中国在非洲41个国家设有54所孔子学院和27所孔子课堂。2017年非洲赴华旅游62.83万人，同比增长4.4%，中国来非旅游人数超百万。
The common development between China and Africa has gained new engine for progress. African countries view the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a new opportunity for China-Africa cooperation and show their strong desire of involvement. China-Africa cooperation on the BRI has been stably proceeded and achieved early results. Some mega projects like Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and Mombasa-Nairobi SGR have been completed and in operation. The Belt and Road cooperation between China and Africa has further broadened our views and brought new driving force. It has also provided more favourable conditions and stronger impetus to promote the policy coordination, connectivity of infrastructure and facilities, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and closer people-to-people bonds.
四是中非共同发展装上新引擎。非洲国家将“一带一路”合作视为拓展中非合作的新机遇，参与意愿十分强烈。中非“一带一路”建设合作稳步推进并取得早期收获，亚吉铁路、蒙内铁路等重大项目建成启用。中非共建“一带一路”将为中非合作发展提供更宽广的视野和更强劲的动力，为推动中非政策沟通，设施联通、贸易畅通、资金融通和民心相通创造更好条件、提供更多助力。
The coordination and cooperation between China and Africa have made new contributions. China always stands up and speaks for Africa on multilateral occasions, especially when the UN Security Council examines African issues. And African countries firmly support China on China’s core interests and major concerns such as Taiwan issue and South China Sea issue. China and Africa closely cooperate with each other on important international affairs such as climate change and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in order to uphold the shared interest of China and Africa as well as other developing countries and defend the international fairness and justice. China has actively and constructively participated in maintaining African peace and security and supported African countries’ effort to solve their own problems independently. Currently, around 2,000 peacekeepers from China are deployed in five peacekeeping missions in Africa. And China has sent 30 escort fleets in the waters off Somalia to safeguard more than 6,000 Chinese and foreign ships. China has actively implemented 100 million USD military aid to African Union and given strong support for the establishment of African regular army and rapid reaction force. At the same time, China has showed its strong support to the regional organizations playing their special role in solving the African hot issues.
五是中非团结协作做出新贡献。中国在多边场合特别是安理会审议非洲问题时一直为非洲仗义执言。非洲国家在台湾、南海等涉及中国核心利益和重大关切问题上给予中国坚定支持。中非在气候变化、2030年可持续发展议程等重大国际问题上密切配合，发出共同声音，坚定维护中非和发展中国家的共同利益，捍卫国际公平正义。中国积极建设性参与非洲和安事务，支持非洲国家自主解决非洲问题。目前，有来自中国的约2000名维和人员部署在非洲5个任务区。迄今，中国已派出30批舰艇编队，在索马里海域为6000多艘中外船只护航。中方积极落实对非盟1亿美元军援，支持非洲常备军和危机应对快速反应部队建设。中国积极支持地区组织在解决非洲热点问题上的特殊作用。
The FOCAC Beijing Summit bears milestone significance for improving the China-Africa relations, achieving China-Africa mutual benefit and win-win results and common development. During the 2018 Beijing Summit of FOCAC, the Beijing Declaration on Building Stronger Community with a Shared Future between China and Africa, and FOCAC Beijing Action Plan (2019-2021) will be announced, and a series of bilateral cooperative agreements will be signed to make plans for China-Africa cooperation for the next three years and even longer period of time in an all-around way, especially in the areas concerning African countries’ livelihoods, employment, economic upgrading and transformation, so as to improve African countries’ independent development capacity building and industrialization, and promote the China-Africa cooperation to a higher level。
本次北京峰会对提升中非关系，实现中非互利共赢、共同发展具有里程碑意义。峰会将通过《关于构建更加紧密的中非命运共同体的北京宣言》和《中非合作论坛北京行动计划（2019—2021年）》两大成果文件，签署一系列双边合作协议，全方位规划未来3年以及今后一段时期的中非合作，特别是攸关非洲民生与就业、契合非洲经济转型升级的领域和方向，助力非洲培育自主发展能力，加快工业化进程，同时推动中非合作迈向更高水平。
Kenya is an important participant, builder and beneficiary of FOCAC. China and Kenya have made great contributions to the implementation of the deliverables of the 2015 Johannesburg Summit of FOCAC. Over 30 economic and trade cooperation projects on industrialization, agricultural modernization and infrastructure construction have been conducted by China and Kenya. Such cooperative results as Mombasa-Nairobi and Nairobi-Naivasha SGR and China-Africa Joint Research Center have effectively boosted the economic and social progress of Kenya. China has provided 67 thousand training opportunities for Kenya. A series of projects on poverty relief, public health, cultural exchanges, peace and security cooperation have been put into practice. Kenya is one of China’s most important partners to advance the BRI and the China-Africa production capacity cooperation. Driven by the BRI and FOCAC, China-Kenya pragmatic cooperation has been playing a leading role in China-Africa cooperation.
肯尼亚是中非合作论坛的重要参与者、建设者和受益者。论坛约堡峰会以来，中肯双方共同为落实峰会成果做出了重要贡献，两国在工业化、农业现代化、基础设施建设等领域落实经贸合作项目30多个，以蒙内铁路、内马铁路、中非联合研究中心为代表的合作成果有效带动肯尼亚经济社会发展进程。中方为肯方提供了6.7万个培训机会，一批扶贫、公共卫生、人文交流、和平与安全领域的合作项目得以顺利实施。中方将肯尼亚作为推进“一带一路”倡议和中非产能合作的重要伙伴国，在“一带一路”倡议和中非合作论坛机制的共同推动下，中肯务实合作已经走在中非合作前列。
During this summit, I will join H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta and the first lady in Beijing, accompanying them to attend all the important activities. After one year, H. E. President Xi Jinping will meet again with H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta to map out the new blueprint for the development of China-Kenya relations. They will witness the signing of the important bilateral documents such as the MOU on Belt and Road Cooperation between China and Kenya, the Agreement on China-Kenya Economic and Technology Cooperation, etc. I believe this summit will bring new opportunities and motivation for the development of China-Kenya relations. China would like to make joint efforts with Kenya to integrate development strategies of both countries, put the results of the summit into practice, with the aim to push forward the China-Kenya Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership to a new level, bring more benefits to the people of both sides, and usher in a new area for China-Africa cooperation.
本次峰会上，我将在北京迎接肯雅塔总统及夫人，陪同他们参加峰会各项重要活动。时隔一年，习近平主席将同肯雅塔总统再次举行双边会晤，共同擘画两国关系发展的新蓝图。两国领导人将见证签署“一带一路”合作备忘录、中肯经济技术合作等重要双边协议。我相信，这次峰会将为中肯关系发展带来新的契机和动力。中方愿与肯方携手努力，积极对接发展战略，落实北京峰会成果，推动中肯全面战略合作伙伴关系再上新台阶，更多、更好地造福两国和两国人民，共同开创中非合作的新时代。