Sustaining China-Africa Friendship for a Bright New Chapter

Amb. Liu Yuxi, Head of the Mission of the People's Republic of China to the African Union

尊敬的研讨会共同主办方、塞尤姆基金会主席塞尤姆大使，

尊敬的非盟常驻代表委员会主席埃及驻非盟大使奥萨马，

尊敬的埃塞俄比亚外交部常秘马赫莱特，

尊敬的中非合作论坛非方共同主席国塞内加尔常驻非盟代表迪奥普大使，

尊敬的各位常驻非盟代表，

女士们，先生们，

Your Excellency Amb. Seyoum Mesfin, President of Board of Trustees of the CDRC, Co-host of this Seminar,

Your Excellency Amb. Osama Abdel Khalek, Chairperson of the AU Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC),

Your Excellency Mahlet Hailu, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia,

Your Excellency Amb. Baye Moctar Diop, permanent representative of Senegal to AU, African co-chair of the FOCAC,

Honorable representative of the African Union Commission,

Ladies and gentlemen,

　　下午好！欢迎大家出席由中国驻非盟使团与塞尤姆基金会共同举办的中非合作研讨会。本次研讨会的主题是“传承传统友好：中非合作成果和展望”。首先，我谨代表中国驻非盟使团对研讨会的成功召开表示热烈祝贺，对塞尤姆基金会的精心安排表示衷心感谢。再过两天就是埃塞新年，我想借此机会祝贺各位来宾埃塞新年快乐！

Good Afternoon, thank you for participating in today's seminar on China-Africa cooperation jointly organized by the Mission of the People's Republic of China to the African Union and the Center for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation. The theme of today's seminar is "Sustaining Traditional Friendship: Achievements and Prospects of China-Africa Cooperation." First of all, allow me to express our congratulations on the successful holding of the seminar and our sincere appreciation to the CDRC for their thoughtful arrangements. Two days later will be Ethiopian New Year. I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy Ethiopian new year!

　　众所周知，中非友谊源远流长。早在公元前2世纪，中国汉朝就已通过丝绸之路间接和非洲交换各自特产，汉武帝曾收到产自埃塞俄比亚的“花蹄牛”。唐朝时中国瓷器在非洲兴起，成为中非人民友好的信物。明朝时中国航海家郑和曾率船队四次到达非洲东部，访问了现在的索马里、肯尼亚等地。中国人没有建立一个殖民地，没有贩卖一个奴隶，而是为非洲带来了香料、丝绸和茶叶。近代以来，西方殖民者入侵非洲，中国也沦为半殖民地，相同的不幸遭遇和反帝反殖的共同使命将中非人民紧紧连结在一起。

China-Africa friendship has a long history. As early as the 2nd Century BC, the Chinese Han Dynasty had been indirectly trading with Africa through the Silk road, Emperor Wu was said to had received exotic Ethiopian "buffalos of flower-shaped hoofs". In the Tang Dynasty, Chinese porcelains became popular in East Africa's littoral, bearing witness to China-Africa people-to-people friendship. Chinese seafarer Zheng He and his massive fleet made four voyages to East Africa including Somalia and Kenya. But China established no colonies in Africa, and was never involved in slave trade. Rather, Chinese silk, tea and other products were transported to Africa. In modern history, when Africa was almost entirely colonized in the notorious "Scramble for Africa", China also degraded into a semi-colonized country. Chinese and African peoples are closely linked in this similar history of being the victims of oppression and the common mission of anti-imperialism and decolonization.

　　新中国成立后，中非老一辈领导人共同开启了中非关系新纪元。中国坚定支持非洲民族独立和解放斗争，在自身尚不富裕的情况下真诚无私援助非洲发展振兴，长达1860公里的坦赞铁路是迄今中国最大的援外成套项目之一，60余位中国专家和工人为修建这条国际大铁路长眠在此。非洲国家也给了中国大力支持和无私帮助，投票支持恢复中华人民共和国在联合国的合法席位及一切合法权益。中国人民常说，是非洲兄弟将我们抬进了联合国。

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chinese and African leaders ushered in a new era of China-Africa relations. China resolutely supported Africa's national independence and liberation movements, and provided sincere and selfless aid for Africa's development and rejuvenation when we were not so wealthy ourselves. Over 60 Chinese engineers and workers died and were buried locally during the construction of the 1,860 km long Tanzania-Zambia Railway line in the 1970s. It has been one of China's biggest comprehensive foreign aid project ever since. African countries also gave China enormous support and assistance and voted to restore the People's Republic of China's lawful seat and all relevant rights at the United Nations. The Chinese people has always been saying that it was African brothers who carried us into the United Nations.

　　进入新世纪，在双方共同努力下，中非关系已经进入全面发展的快车道。双方成立了中非合作论坛，构建起全面战略合作伙伴关系，各领域合作取得显著成果。去年9月举办的中非合作论坛北京峰会，在中非关系史上具有里程碑意义。中非领导人一致决定携手构建更加紧密的中非命运共同体，共同实施中非合作“八大行动”，为中非关系向更高水平发展绘制了新的蓝图。

China-Africa relations entered an era of comprehensive development since the beginning of the 21st century. The two sides launched the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and decided to build a comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership, reaping significant benefits in various fields. The FOCAC Beijing Summit held last September was a landmark event in that Chinese and African leaders pledged to build an even stronger China-Africa community with a shared future, and decided to carry out eight major initiatives, presenting a new blueprint for upgrading China-Africa relations.