Since the founding of New China in 1949, the Chinese government and people have resolutely supported the African people in their national liberation movement and just struggle to safeguard national independence and sovereignty and the efforts by the African countries to develop national economy.
From the end of 1963 to the beginning of 1964, during his visit to ten African countries, the late Premier Zhou Enlai put forward five principles concerning China's relations with African and Arab countries and eight principles governing China's aid to other countries. He stressed that China supported the African countries and people in their struggle against imperialism, colonialism, and neo-colonialism and safeguard national independence and that China provided aid with no strings attached. These principles brought about a far-reaching influence and laid a solid foundation for the development of friendly cooperative relations between China and African countries.
In May 1996, President Jiang Zemin paid a visit to six African countries. He proposed five principles concerning the development of a long-term, stable, and all-round cooperative relationship between China and the African countries oriented toward the 21st century:
--Being sincere, friendly, and mutually reliable and becoming all-weather friends;
--Equality, mutual respect of each other's sovereignty, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs;
--Mutual benefit and seeking common development;
--Strengthening consultations and forming close cooperation in international affairs;
--Looking toward the future and creating a more beautiful world.
President Jiang's proposals were warmly welcomed by African countries and peoples, which plays an important role in developing the sino-African relations.
As a result, the economic and trade cooperation between China and African countries saw a rapid development. In 1997, the total trade volume between China and the African countries reached US$5.67 billion, 44 times greater than that of 1979.
Since the 1950s, China has given aid to the African countries as its capacity has allowed. It helped the construction of 603 projects for African countries.
Exchange of Visits at High Levels
From 1978 to 1997, 42 leaders (including the deputy heads of state and vice premiers) of the countries south of the Sahara paid 137 visits to China, while 22 Chinese leaders (including the vice premiers) made 154 trips to 41 African countries.
In July 1992, former President Yang Shangkun paid a state visit to Cote d'Ivoire. At the invitation of President Yang, the following African leaders visited China: President N. Soglo of Benin, President H Mwinyi of Tanzania, President Sam Nujoma of Namibia, President Konare of Mali, former President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, first Vice Premier F. Ravony of Madagascar's transitional government, Dos Santos, chairman of the Parliament of Mozambique; and Nelson Mandela, chairman of the African National Congress of South Africa.
In 1995, at the invitation of the Chinese government, a number of state and government heads from the African countries south of the Sahara visited China. They were president of the Republic of Seychelles (May), president of Ethiopia (October-November), Togo president (November), and Ghana president (December). Several first Iadies and government delegations headed by senior officials attended the Fourth UN World Conference on Women held in Beijing.
In May of 1996, Chinese President Jiang Zemin paid state visits to Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali and Zimbabwe, putting forward the five principles guiding China to develop a long-term and stable relationship with the African countries in the 21st century.
In May of 1997, premier Li Peng visited Seychelles, Zambia, Mozambique, Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria and Tanzania, during which he shared the views in common with these governments on development of Sino-African relations and broadening economic cooperation.
In 1997, several presidents and prime ministers from the countries south of the Sahara visited China. They were the presidents of Cote d'Iviore (May) ,the Niger (May), the Congo (December) and the prime ministers of Mauritius (April), Cape Verde (October) and Mozambique (October).
In June 1998, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan paid an official visit to Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin.
In the same year, five African leaders visited China: M. Kerkou, president of Benin (January); A. Chissano, president of Mozambique (March); Mkapa, president of Tanzania (April); Gouled Attidon, president of Djibouti (August, for a private visit); and Dos Santos, president of Angola (October).
In January 1999, Hu Jintao, vice president of China, visited Madagascar, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa. Hu's visit showed once again the importance China attaches to Africa and that China is ready to strengthen the unity and cooperation it has formed with African countries. His visit was of great importance to the establishment of a long, stable, sincere, friendly, and all-round cooperative relationship between China and the African countries.
In 1999, the heads of state of the following African countries have visited China: O. A. Obasanjo, president of Nigeria (April); Nelson Mandela, president of South Africa (April); R. Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe (April); Kabbah, president of Sierra Leone (June); and Patasse, president of the Central African Republic (June).
China and the African Countries Share the Same or Similar Views on the Radically Changing World Situation and International Issues of Great Importance
The Chinese government pursues an independent foreign policy of peace. It attaches importance to the positive role the African countries have played in international affairs. China supports the African countries to have a free selection of the road of development according to the specific situation in each countries and opposes attempts by any countries to impose their own ideology and social mode on the African countries.
The African countries in turn have given China tremendous support and stood against the interference of other countries in China's internal affairs. They hold that a powerful, stable China is in the interest of world peace and development and in conformity with the interest of the Third World. They are willing to further their relations with China.
Most of the African countries adhered to principles. They opposed the “elastic diplomacy” pursued by the Taiwan authorities and its attempt to create “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan,” continued to support the great cause of China's re-unification, and reaffirmed their recognition of the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the whole of China and the stand that Taiwan is an inseparable part of the Chinese territory.
At the previous UN sessions on human rights, the African countries supported China and helped foil the anti-China motion of the Western countries, thus safeguarding the common interest of the developing countries.
China firmly supports the southern African countries concerned in their endeavor to achieve a peaceful solution of the issues of Angola, Mozambique and South Africa through dialogue. The Chinese government has shown much concern and sympathy for the miseries the Somalian and Liberian people have suffered in their civil wars and hopes that efforts may be made by all sides involved to achieve national reconciliation through dialogue, restore peace at an early date, and rebuild their homelands. On December 30, 1997, China and South Africa signed documents for the establishment of diplomatic relations, and on January 1, 1998, the two countries formed official diplomatic ties. In early May 1999, then South Africa President Nelson Mandela conferred on President Jiang Zemin the Gold Order of Good Hope, Class I.
China Supports the Efforts of the African Countries to Vitalize and Develop Their National Economies
In accordance with the eight principles concerning aid to foreign countries, China has sincerely helped the African countries to develop their economies and has actively conducted economic and trade cooperation with them on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. China has given aid, within its power, to nearly 50 African countries.
In addition to government-to-government economic and technological cooperation, China encourages local authorities, enterprises, and individuals in China to conduct economic cooperation with African countries. In 1992, China signed new agreements to provide loans to Mali, Burundi, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, Benin, Chad, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda and Sao Tome and Principe. China also gave aid consisting of ordinary materials to 14 African countries and disaster-relief grain to seven southern African countries suffering from serious drought.
In 1995, China shifted its focus of aid to the development of medium and small production projects and social welfare items in the recipient countries needed and had necessary resources for. It provided aid by means of government paying interest in the form of deductions on bills of exchange with the bank providing preferential loans, aiming to bring more funds into play. The Chinese government encouraged and promoted Chinese and African enterprises to play a more positive role in Sino-African economic and trade cooperation by establishing joint ventures and cooperative enterprises.
The trade volume between China and the countries south of the Sahara increased by a wide margin, reaching US$2.91 billion in 1995, 47.8 percent more than the previous year.
1997 was a year when economic and trade relations between China and Africa developed in a deep way. China signed new agreements with 35 African countries to offer them assistance funds, contributions, and humanitarian aid. China adopted an active approach in carrying out assistance in the form of preferential loans with the Chinese government paying interest in the form of reductions and of establishing joint ventures or cooperative enterprises. New achievements were made in this aspect. African countries welcomed investments from Chinese companies. Multi-form, mutual-beneficial cooperation in many fields between Chinese companies and African countries was carried out extensively. In 1997, nearly 1,000 contracts for construction projects and labor services were signed, and the trade volume reached US$4.516 billion, an increase of 43.3 percent over 1996.
Friendly Cooperation Between China and Africa in Other Fields
On many occasions, the Chinese Communist Party has dispatched important delegations to visit African countries, and political parties and organizations from African countries have visited China. The Mali cultural delegation came to China to keep abreast of the development of culture and sports in China and to investigate the excavation and protection of China's historical relics. A Chinese acrobatic troupe toured countries in western, eastern, and southern Africa. China organized 582 doctors into medical teams and sent them to serve the people wholeheartedly in 31 African countries.
Many African countries have sent students to study in China. In 1990 alone, China provided 26 African countries with 296 scholarships. The number of African students studying in China came up to 1,166 that year. China also sent students to Africa for study.
The contacts of trade unions, and women's, youth, and other non-governmental organizations between China and Africa have promoted the development of people-to-people friendship.
China and the Organization of African Unity
China has maintained good relationships with the Organization of African Unity (OAU). China holds that the signing of The Treaty on the Establishment of the Economic Community of the African Countries at the 27th OAU Summit Meeting of Heads of State in early June 1991 was a significant step toward the realization of the great goal of economic integration on the African continent. The treaty showed the aspiration of the African countries for self-strengthening through unity and for making common development in view of the situation in which international economy tends to form regional blocs or become group-integrated.
The Chinese government appreciates the efforts that the OAU has made to pursue regional peace and stability and mediate the wars and conflicts in Liberia and Somalia.
China supports the efforts by the OAU to solve the problem of refugees, especially the refugee problem in the Great Lakes region, and hopes that the countries involved earnestly implement the agreement of the 1995 Cairo Refugee Meeting, speed up repatriation of the refugees to their homelands, and find an early solution to the problems that have long affected stability in the region.
China's Principles in Developing Relations with African Countries
1. China supports the efforts that the African countries have taken to safeguard state sovereignty and national independence, oppose foreign interference, and develop their economies.
2. China respects the African countries' right to choose their own political systems and roads of development in accordance with their specific conditions.
3. China stands by the African countries in their endeavor to strengthen unity and cooperation, to improve themselves through alliance, and to settle disputes among themselves through peaceful consultations.
4. China supports the OAU's efforts to pursue peace, stability, development, and economic modernization on the African continent.
5. China backs efforts of the African countries to take an active part in international affairs and establish a fair and reasonable international political and economic new order as equal members of the international society.
6. China is willing to develop friendly contacts and various forms of economic cooperation on the basis of mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality, mutual benefit, peaceful co-existence, and other such principles.
(CIIC)
