The SONNA Publishes a Signed Article by Ambassador Qin Jian Entitled "Promoting the Continuous Development of China-Somalia Relations"

On 23 March 2019, the SONNA website publishes a signed article by Ambassador Qin Jian entitled "Promoting the Continuous Development of China-Somalia Relations". The full text is as follows:

我来到索马里后，切身感受到索马里是具有光明前景、潜力很大的国家。近年来，在索马里政府领导下，和平重建进程取得了积极进步。中索关系也取得了长足发展。

I have been in Somalia for more two years, and I feel that Somalia is a country with bright prospects and great potential. In recent years, under the leadership of the Somali government, the process of peace and reconstruction has made positive progress. China-Somalia relations have also made considerable progress.

　　1960年，中索建立外交关系，索马里是东非地区首个与中国建交的国家。建交以来，两国关系取得了丰硕成果。从1960年至1991年，中国帮索马里建设了80多个经济社会发展项目，包括道路、医院、水电站、国家体育场、大剧院，遍及索马里各地，迄今仍为人们传颂。近年来，中国积极向索马里提供粮食、救灾物资等人道主义援助，提供中国政府奖学金名额，为索马里开发人力资源。中国政府将一流大学提供索马里青年人，使他们成为对索马里国家建设发展的优秀人才。目前，索马里学生正在遍及全中国的30多所大学里深造，他们由衷感受到中国人民的深厚友谊，同时也带来了索马里人民情谊、索马里文化。

In 1960, China and Somalia established diplomatic relations, Somalia is the first country in east Africa to establish diplomatic relations with China. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the bilateral relations have achieved fruitful results. From 1960 to 1991, China helped Somalia build more than 80 projects on economic and social development, such as roads, hospitals, hydropower plants, national stadium and national theatre all over Somalia, which are still celebrated by people. In recent years, China has actively provided food, disaster relief and other humanitarian assistance to Somalia, offered the Chinese government scholarships to Somali students, and developed human resources for Somalia. The Chinese government has provided first-class universities with young Somalis to make them excellent talents for the Somali development. At present, Somali students are studying in 30 universities all over China. They sincerely feel the profound friendship of the Chinese people, and at the same time bring the friendship of the Somali people and Somali culture.

　　今年是新中国建立70周年。70年来，在中国共产党领导下，中国已经发展成为世界第二大经济体，实现了7.4亿人口脱贫,这是中国人权事业进步的最显著标志。中国仍是一个发展中国家，虽然经济总量不小，但存在发展不平衡不充分问题，中国还有3000多万农村贫困人口。中国是一个拥有13亿人口的大市场，经济发展潜力大、韧性强、空间广, 2019年将继续保持经济持续健康发展，保持6.6%经济增长率，为世界经济发展做出更大贡献。

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The past seven decades, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China has developed into the world's second largest economy and lifted 740 million people out of poverty, this is the most telling evidence of China's progress in human rights. China is still a developing country,despite our large economy, China's development remains unbalanced and inadequate with between different regions and between urban and rural areas. In rural areas, over 30 million rural people still live in poverty in China. But with a huge large market with a population of 1.3 billion, China has vast potential, great resilience and broad space, its economy is fully capable of sustaining sound growth, maintains 6.6% economic growth rate in 2019, makes greater contributions to world economic development.

　　去年９月，索马里总统赴华出席中非合作论坛北京峰会，习近平主席同穆罕默德总统会晤，双方领导人就中索关系发展达成重要共识，两国签署了开展“一带一路”建设的合作文件。中国在索马里不会谋取任何私利，一贯尊重索马里主权和领土完整，不干涉索马里国家内政。我们一直认为，国际社会应坚持“索人主导、索人所有”原则，推动索马里和平发展。

Last September, President Xi Jinping met with President Mohamed Abdullahi during the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. The leaders of the two states reached important consensus on the development of relations between China and Somalia. China always respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia, not seeks any its private interests in Somalia and not interferes in the internal affairs of Somalia. We have always believed that the international community should adhere to the principle of "Somalia led, Somalia owned" and promote the peaceful development in Somalia.