FOCAC's programmes the new focus of China-Tanzania cooperation

Question: In what areas have China and Africa conducted practical cooperation in recent years?

Answer: Since my arrival over 6 months ago, through my exchanges with President Samia Suluhu Hassan and people across the field, I can feel the eagerness of Tanzania to achieve independent development.

The 8th FOCAC Ministerial conference was successfully held in November, 2021. At its opening ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China and African countries have jointly prepared the China-Africa Vision 2035. Under the first three-year plan of the Vision, China will work closely with African countries to implement nine programmes including the medical and health programme, the poverty reduction and agricultural development programme, the trade promotion programme, etc. The nine programmes are a response to the urgent need of African countries for development, and aims at supporting African countries in nurturing home-grown development capability, which is the latest focus of China-Africa practical cooperation and has been warmly welcomed and supported by the Tanzanian side.

The nine programmes are being implemented in Tanzania in a steady way, reflected in the following:

First, high-level strategic guidance. In March this year, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a meeting with Tanzanian Foreign Minister Liberata Mulamula, when both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation under the framework of FOCAC, push for the implementation of the nine programs in Tanzania, and produce more concrete results. Moreover, the two sides are also discussing about the holding of the 6th meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission to inject new energy to the implementation of the nine programs.

Second, initiative of the Chinese side. According to the new requirement of high-quality development of China-Tanzania cooperation, I have had many meetings with Tanzanian ministers for health, communication and education, etc. to renew China-Tanzania friendship, expand bilateral cooperation, especially in the new areas of health, digital economy, green and low-carbon development, and vocational education, and promote the launching and implementation of more small livelihood projects in Tanzania that can benefit the people.

Third, importance attached by the Tanzanian side. Tanzania is now implementing its Development Vision 2025, and President Samia Suluhu Hassan has an ambitious plan of reinvigorating Tanzania, thus having great expectation on China-Tanzania practical cooperation under the nine programs. From the end of 2021 to June this year, the Tanzanian side has provided two editions of the project list, which shows the importance it has attached to the nine programmes.

What’s the latest progress of China-Tanzania practical cooperation?

At present, the implementation of the nine programmes in Tanzania has seen its early harvest. The new batch of 3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines donated by China arrived in Tanzania on July 14th. Up to now China has donated 5,610,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Tanzania.

The Kagera Regional Vocational Training and Service Center built with the assistance from China has completed technical project acceptance and will be handed over to the Tanzanian side soon. The National Occupational Standards Review and Development Project was launched in June, in which China will participate in the development of occupational standards and related talent development plans.

For the next step, China will maintain close communication and coordination with the Tanzanian side, focus on the implementation of the nine programmes, and facilitate launching of more cooperation projects in Tanzania. China will also develop small but beneficial projects such as Juncao technology cooperation to promote economic development and livelihood improvement in Tanzania, and work for the upgrading and improvement of China-Tanzania cooperation. We will join hands, under the guidance of the Tazara Spirit, to build China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

Talking about China-Tanzania friendship, one can easily call to mind the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (Tazara). Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that we should carry forward the Tazara spirit, keep it updated in accordance with the trend of the times, and make Tazara an important transportation channel in the region. In your opinion, what is the Tazara spirit? What is the essence of the spirit for the younger generation of China and Tanzania?

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi expounded Tazara spirit in 2015, which is a spirit about mutual respect and equality, about tenacity and perseverance, and about selfless internationalism.

The Tazara spirit embodies those memorable moments of friendly exchanges between China, Tanzania and Zambia. It included the story of the 13 visits of President Julius Nyerere to China through which he developed deep friendship with the old generation of Chinese leaders like Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai. It included the story of 50,000 plus Chinese people travelling thousands of miles to Tanzania and forged deep friendship through hard work and sacrifice for building the railway. It included the story of China supporting Southeast African people in their struggle to break away from colonial rule and win national independence and liberation in the 1960s. I believe that those memorable stories, together with the Tazara Spirit, will always be remembered in the history of China-Tanzania and China-Africa friendly exchanges.

Since its completion, Tazara has gone through nearly 50 years of vicissitudes, and it is still in operation today. The railway has played an important role in enhancing regional connectivity, promoting the economic and social development of the regions along the line, and bringing convenience to people’s life. More importantly, the younger generations of China and Tanzania have carried forward the Tazara spirit and keep it updated in accordance with the trend of the times.

China and Tanzania have always followed the principle of mutual respect and win-win cooperation in developing their relations. The two countries have rendered each other firm support in their respective efforts to independently explore a development path suited to their national conditions, and on the issues relating to their respective core interests and major concerns.

Both China and Tanzania are faced with the arduous tasks of economic and social development. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has maintained sustained fast economic growth, and socialism with Chinese characteristics has demonstrated its great vitality on the Chinese land.

As the governing party in Tanzania over the years, the CCM is implementing the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 and working hard to improve infrastructure and livelihood. The two countries are making unremitting efforts to meet people’s aspiration for a better life.

As typical developing countries, China and Tanzania firmly safeguard solidarity and common interests of developing countries in multilateral affairs, and support multilateralism and the role of the United Nations. The two countries are working together with other countries to contribute their strength to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. I am confident that the Tazara spirit of mutual respect, tenacity and perseverance, and selfless dedication will radiate with more splendor in the new era.