40年来，中非经贸合作跨越发展，利益纽带紧密牢固。中非贸易额从1978年的7.65亿美元到2017年的1700亿美元，增长200多倍，中国已连续多年保持非洲最大贸易伙伴地位。中国对非投资从无到有，从少到多，目前存量已达1100亿美元。中非合作正呈现由政府主导向市场运作转型、商品贸易向产能合作升级、工程承包向投资运营迈进的可喜变化，切实助力非洲可持续发展。

　　40年来，中非人文交流稳步拓展，成为中非友好的涌泉活水。中非双方人员往来每年近200万人次，友好省市总数已达133对。中国在41个非洲国家开设了80多个孔子学院和课堂，27个非洲国家长期在华派驻媒体记者。仅2017年，中非双方就举办了百余场人文交流活动，实施了200多个人文合作项目。

Over the past four decades, our economic cooperation has achieved phenomenal growth on the strength of interwoven interests. Trade between us has grown more than 200-fold, jumping to 170 billion US dollars from merely 765 million US dollars 40 years ago. For many years, China has been Africa's biggest trading partner. The last 40 years has also seen Chinese investment in Africa grow from scratch to a cumulative stock of 110 billion US dollars. What is more, three encouraging shifts are taking place in our economic cooperation: from government-driven to market-driven, from trade in goods to also include manufacturing cooperation, and from engineering contracts to capital investment and operations. These shifts will add wings to Africa's sustainable development.

Over the past four decades, our people-to-people ties have expanded, always generating fresh impetus to China-Africa friendship. Currently, nearly two million visits are made between the two sides every year. There are 133 pairs of sister provinces or cities between China and African countries. China has opened more than 80 Confucius institutes or classrooms in 41 African countries, and 27 African countries have stationed journalists in China. In last year alone, the two sides held more than 100 exchange events and implemented over 200 projects promoting friendship between our peoples.

　　40年来，中非在国际和地区事务中密切配合，坚定捍卫中非共同利益。中国在联合国安理会等多边场合一直为非洲国家仗义执言，非洲国家则高度评价中国为促进国际和地区安全稳定发挥的建设性作用。中国坚定支持非洲国家自主解决非洲问题，积极参与非洲和安事务，现有2000多名中国维和人员部署在非洲5个联合国任务区，是“五常”中派出维和人员最多的国家。

　　前不久，中共中央外事工作会议成功举行，正式确立习近平外交思想作为指导新时代中国特色大国外交的根本遵循和行动指南。特别是习近平主席在2013年访非时，总结提炼过去几十年中国发展对非关系秉持的核心精神，提出的真实亲诚理念和正确义利观，已经成为中非以及中国同发展中国家关系与合作的政策依归，产生了广泛深远的示范影响。

Over the past four decades, our close cooperation in international and regional affairs has been instrumental to upholding our common interests. At the UN Security Council, for example, China has often spoken in defense of African positions. China's constructive role in promoting international and regional security and stability has been welcomed and applauded by African countries. China firmly supports African countries in addressing African issues by themselves and, in this context, has actively participated in peace and security affairs in Africa. With over 2,000 of its peacekeepers in five UN operations, China sends more peacekeepers than any other permanent member of the Security Council.

A few weeks ago, a conference on work relating to foreign affairs was held in Beijing, which established "Xi Jinping thought on diplomacy" as a fundamental principle and a guide to action for China's distinctive major-country diplomacy in the new era. You may recall that when visiting Africa in 2013, President Xi proposed "sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith" as the guideline for China-Africa relations, and offered to pursue the greater good and shared interests in relation to Africa. His proposal, built on China's decades-long approach to Africa, has produced far-reaching impact on the development of China's relations with Africa and the developing world.

　　女士们，先生们，朋友们，

　　回顾过去，中非关系与合作走过的道路极不平凡，取得的成就有目共睹，给双方人民带来实实在在的利益。但西方总有一些别有用心的人，不愿放弃傲慢与偏见，不愿看到中非合作蓬勃发展，习惯颐指气使、评头论足，抹黑中非合作，近期又炒作债务问题，指摘“中国贷款加重非洲债务负担”，“中国以资金蚕食非洲国家主权”等，“酸葡萄”心理一览无遗。

　　事实上，中非合作坚持原则，敢为人先，受到非洲国家普遍认可和真诚欢迎。中国对非合作理念与实践集中体现为以下“三个坚持”：

Ladies and gentlemen,

Friends, 

China and Africa have walked an extraordinary path in developing our relations and cooperation, and our peoples have benefited greatly from it. What we have accomplished together is for the whole world to see. Yet a minority of Westerners, blinded by their "pride and prejudice", choose not to see it. Being long used to patronizing us and pointing fingers at us, they often disparage our cooperation and recently whipped up the so-called "debt trap" by accusing China of "mir[ing] nations in debt ... and undercut[ting] their sovereignty". Maybe there is more than a hint of "sour grapes" here?

The fact is, China-Africa cooperation, path-breaking in many respects, is based on solid principles. It has been universally welcomed and supported by the African countries. As I see it, the following three things set China-Africa cooperation apart: