Why did you come wearing a Zhongshan suit? As the first president to visit China during his tenure, Agriculture | China | Zhongshan suit

Three years ago, on June 4, Evarist Ndaismiye, the newly elected president of the Republic of Burundi, received a congratulatory message from President Xi Jinping. In his congratulatory message, President Xi pointed out that Burundi is an "all-weather" friend of China, and exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields are running at a high level.

Now, the president who loves to wear Zhongshan suits has arrived.

On July 28th, Nda Isemier arrived at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport by plane to attend the opening ceremony of the 31st Summer Universiade in Chengdu and visit China.

·On the morning of July 28, President Ndayismiye of Burundi, who came to China to attend the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade and visited, arrived in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Hongjing

Beautiful country, turbulent youth

Ndayishmyer comes from a beautiful country, but has a turbulent youth.

The water quality of Lake Tanganyika in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa is clear, like a narrow piece of jade embedded in the land of Africa. There are four countries around Tanganyika Lake, of which Burundi is one. There are many plateaus and mountains in the territory, known as "the country of thousands of mountains".

·Lake Tanganyika.

People who have been to Burundi say that there is a quiet, elegant and simple folk custom that is not found anywhere else.

Liu Niwen, a teacher and student of Beijing International Studies University, is studying at the University of Burundi. She told Global People that it is easy to feel satisfied and happy with local people when they get along with them. When people finish their day's work and drink a bottle of Burundi specialty banana beer, it is a very happy thing.

However, such a simple and happy life is not easy for Burundi people.

There are three ethnic groups in Burundi. Hutu accounts for 83% of the total population, Tutsi accounts for 14%, and Tewa accounts for 3%. As early as the 16th century, Burundi had a kingdom. It was colonized by western powers, and was forcibly divided into Rwanda and Burundi in the process of striving for independence in the middle of last century.

In 1962, the 16th session of the General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring Burundi independent and constitutional monarchy, known as the "Kingdom of Burundi". In November 1966, Prime Minister Mikombero launched a coup to overthrow the Kingdom and establish the Republic of Burundi. However, since then, Burundi has been mired in the conflict between Hutu and Tutsi for a long time, and civil unrest has continued.

In 1968, Ndayishmiye was born in Jiheta District, Kitga Province, central Burundi, and is a Hutu. People like to call him "Neva". During his youth, Nda Ishmiye grew up in an environment of tribal conflicts and frequent wars.

In 1993, the then President Ndadaye was killed, which triggered a large-scale bloody conflict, and many universities in Burundi were closed. Ndayishmiya, who was studying in the law department of the University of Burundi at that time, was attacked by Hutu students on the campus, and he barely escaped. Ndayishmyer saw that he couldn't continue his studies and his life was in danger, so he decided to go to the mountains to avoid the wind.

Zhang Yongpeng, a researcher of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese Academy of African Studies, told Global People that Burundi has been in turmoil for many years, and the change of government has often been accompanied by a coup. Frequent military coups and domestic conflicts have deeply traumatized people's lives and slowed down the country's development. Burundi's economy is underdeveloped, its industry is dominated by agriculture, and it has been subjected to economic sanctions from western countries. In addition, in recent years, the assistance from the West has decreased significantly, and the economic situation has worsened. Most people in Burundi yearn for peace and stability and do not want the country to fall back into political disputes and conflicts.

From military personnel to president

During the turbulent years, the young Nda Ishmiye joined the Hutu anti-government forces to defend democracy. There, Ndayishmier met Pierre Nkurunziza. Enkurunziza has successively served as the Deputy Secretary General and Chairman of the Forces for the Defense of Democracy.

In November 2003, the Forces for the Defense of Democracy and the ruling government of Ndayizeye held peace talks in the administrative capital of South Africa, Pretoria. During this period, as a negotiating representative, Ndayishmyer worked closely with Nkurunziza and ultimately reached a peace agreement, ending the prolonged civil war.

According to the agreement, FDD became a political party in Burundi. Enkurunziza serves as the Minister of State responsible for good governance and national oversight affairs in the transitional government. Ndayishmyer was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.

·Ndayishmyer and Enkurunziza.

In 2005, the Forces for the Defense of Democracy won 63%, 55%, and 88% of seats respectively in local, national assembly, and Senate elections, becoming the ruling party. Its leader, Nkurunziza, was elected as the only candidate for president and took office on August 26, 2005. In the presidential election five years later, Nkurunziza was re elected.

As a political partner of Nkurunziza, Ndajimiye has served as Minister of the Interior and Public Security, as well as Senior Advisor to the Presidential Office on Military and Civil Affairs.

On May 20, 2020, the candidate of the ruling party, Nda Ishmier, who is already the General Secretary of the Forces for the Defense of Democracy, won the presidential election with an absolute advantage. On June 8th of that year, Enkurunziza passed away due to illness, and Ndayishmyer was sworn in 10 days later.

According to the new constitution of Burundi adopted in 2018, the newly elected president has a term of office of 7 years and can be re elected once.

A friend of Ndayishmyer once described him as "an open-minded person with a very easy-going personality and enjoys joking with friends.". Diplomats have stated that Nda Ishmier is different from other politicians from military backgrounds in that he is "open and honest".

Just before his visit to China, his wife Angelina had visited multiple cities in China.

On the morning of June 28, 2023, Angelina and her delegation arrived in Shaoshan, offering flower baskets at Mao Zedong Square and visiting the former residence of Comrade Mao Zedong and the life exhibition area of the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall.

Angelina warmly waved to the students in front of the Comrade Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and happily took a photo with them as a souvenir. After finishing the film, she affectionately said to the children, "I love you, just like I love my child." The children next to her were excited, and the whole room applauded warmly.

·On June 28, 2023, the wife of the President, Angelina, visited the Comrade Mao Zedong Memorial Hall in Shaoshan, Hunan and took a group photo with students.

During the visit, Angelina also shared a small story about her husband. At that time, she was deeply attracted by the Zhongshan suit that Mao Zedong often wore. "Zhongshan suit is affectionately referred to as Mao style uniform in our local area, and this title also expresses our admiration for Chairman Mao.".

Angelina happily shared while flipping out a picture of her husband, President Nda Ishmier, wearing a Zhongshan suit from her phone for everyone to see. "My husband really likes to wear Zhongshan suits, they fit well and look great," she said.

During her visit to Hunan, Angelina took careful notes in her phone memo every time she heard an important time point, including the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Burkina Faso, the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the establishment of the All China Women's Federation, and the promulgation of the first Marriage Law.

After the visit, Angelina said that China is better than its neighbors because we know each other far and near. She sincerely thanked China for its selfless help and valuable support to Burundi for a long time, and looked forward to writing a new chapter in the bilateral friendship and working together to create a better future.

"24/7" Friends' Sports Situation

Visiting China under the influence of the Universiade was the first visit to China by Nda Ishmier after taking office. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Burkina Faso, and the friendship between the two countries can be traced back to more than half a century ago in terms of sports.

On December 21, 1963, China established diplomatic relations with Burundi, and eight years later signed a protocol on China sending sports coaches to Burundi. By 1981, China had sent a total of six batches of coaches. Since 1974, China Youth Football Team, Guangdong Men's Basketball Team, Liaoning Football Team and other sports teams have visited Burundi.

Moreover, when China holds international sports events, the head of state of Burundi is often a guest of honor.

Ndayshimier's predecessor, Nkurunziza, graduated from a sports major and loved sports, especially football. He once played as a forward for a local First Division football team.

On August 8, 2008, he personally led a delegation to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. After the opening ceremony, he humorously said, "The Beijing Olympics have achieved such great success, and the next one will be difficult.".

In August 2014, Enkurunziza attended the opening ceremony of the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games again. According to external comments, his arrival is not only a support for the Olympic movement, but also a support for the Chinese brothers.

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Huanchi

Zhang Yongpeng said that over the past half century, political mutual trust between China and Burundi has continued to increase, practical cooperation has yielded increasingly fruitful results, and people to people and cultural exchanges have continued to expand. The leadership of Burundi attaches importance to the exchange of governance and administration with China, and believes that China has developed a development path different from that of the West, which provides new lessons for African countries, including Burundi.

Both China and Burundi advocate independent exploration of the development path, resolutely oppose foreign interference, and resolutely oppose unilateralism and power politics. In international multilateral settings, China and Burkina Faso support each other on major core interests, effectively safeguarding the national sovereignty, security, and development interests of both sides.

On the other hand, China has also provided strong support to the Burmese side in the United Nations Security Council, the Human Rights Council, and development issues.

During the spread of the COVID-19, after China's anti epidemic efforts had achieved phased results, at the briefing on epidemic prevention by foreign envoys in Burundi held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the then Foreign Minister Nibijira invited the envoys to stand up and applaud, congratulating China on its anti epidemic achievements.

Burundi's official French language newspaper, Xinsheng Daily, with the largest circulation, frequently reports on China's development achievements, China's foreign policies, and the achievements of China Burundi cooperation, and has repeatedly published articles about China by the Chinese ambassador to Burundi.

·On March 15, 2023, the official newspaper of Burundi, Xinsheng Daily, published the full text of the article signed by Zhao Jiangping, Ambassador to Burundi, "China's" two sessions ": new opportunities for common development".

Zhang Yongpeng said that these are important signs. The friendly cooperation between China and Burundi is not only a matter of time, but also a comprehensive cooperation in all fields of the entire space. Burundi can be called China's "all-weather" friend.

The Presidential Palace also has a Chinese connection

On July 11, 2023, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office, met in Beijing with Foreign Minister Hingiro of Burundi. Hingiro said that China's cooperation with Burundi and other developing countries has never attached any political conditions.

Zhang Yongpeng told reporters that Western countries and international financial organizations often attach a series of political conditions to providing assistance to African countries, such as requiring African countries to comply with Western democratic and human rights values, implement multi-party systems, and obey the leadership of Western countries, including the United States... Once African countries do not meet the conditions, they will not receive assistance and loans. Meanwhile, the West often decides which countries can receive aid and loans based on its own unilateral judgment.

In addition, Western countries and their leading international financial organizations often link aid and loans to the development strategies and plans of African countries, intervening in their development strategies, leading to a disconnect between relevant aid funds and actual development needs, and also damaging the sovereignty and dignity of African countries.

In practice, Western countries often delay the review of loans and aid provided by African countries for a long time, ranging from one year to five or six years, and some even take more than ten years, resulting in a significant reduction in the effectiveness of funds or aid.

Zhang Yongpeng said that the Chinese government's assistance to African countries does not attach any political conditions. Whether it is diplomacy, education, economy and trade, infrastructure, agriculture, or healthcare, China provides assistance to African countries to the best of its ability. The political and economic cooperation between China and African countries is based on equality and mutual benefit, which is also the most important reason why African people cherish friendly cooperation between China and Africa.

The office building of the President's Office of Burundi, built with Chinese assistance, will be delivered in September 2021, making Burundi have its own presidential office building for the first time since independence.

Before 2022, no new power station has been put into operation in Burundi for more than 30 years. Chinese enterprises undertook the Huji Baji Hydropower Project, known as the "Three Gorges Project in Burundi", and completed it in September 2022. Huji Baji Hydropower Station can meet the power demand of Bujumbura, and the national power supply of Burundi will also increase by nearly 1/3.

·The Huji Baji Hydropower Station project constructed by Chinese enterprises.

Health cooperation is also an important area of comprehensive cooperation between China and Burkina Faso.

Since 1987, the Chinese side has dispatched 20 batches of medical teams to Burundi, assisted in the construction of a comprehensive hospital, and established a cooperation mechanism for hospitals between the two sides in 2020. At the same time, many Burundian doctors have studied in China and become the backbone of Burundi's medical industry after returning home.

Hybrid rice is an important technology for enriching China's grain reserves, and in recent years, it has also become a new attempt by African countries to solve the food crisis. Burundi has good water, soil, light and heat conditions, but due to the low level of productivity, the lack of fertilizer and other key means of production, food security and poverty are prominent. For this reason, Nda Ishmier attaches great importance to agricultural cooperation with China.

Zhao Jiangping, Chinese Ambassador to Burundi, said that China sincerely helps Burundi improve its grain production capacity and agricultural technology, and helps the local people to eat well.

Since 2009, China has sent personnel to Burundi many times to carry out agricultural technical assistance tasks and support the cause of poverty reduction in Burundi. In September 2020, the China Aid to Burundi Agricultural Demonstration Center was completed and unveiled. The Chinese expert group has closely cooperated with the Bulgarian side to build the demonstration center into a platform that integrates scientific research, demonstration and promotion, and talent cultivation, achieving fruitful cooperation results. This includes breeding 10 hybrid rice varieties that adapt to local natural conditions, successfully solving the problem of rice blast in mountainous areas, and setting a record of 13.84 tons per hectare of African rice yield.

In 2022, Nda Isemier presented an honorary certificate to Yang Huade, the leader of the agricultural expert group assisted by China in Burundi, representing the increasing recognition and trust of China's agricultural technology by African countries.

·Ndayishmyer presented an honorary certificate to Yang Huade, the leader of the agricultural expert group assisted by China in Burundi.

Ndayishmyer stated that China not only "teaches people to fish", but also "teaches people to fish", helping Bu significantly increase rice production, perfectly fitting Bu's development plan of "everyone has food to eat, every family has savings".

As the Burundi proverb says, true friends should share weal and woe. For over half a century, China and Burkina Faso have been sailing together through thick and thin, sharing weal and woe. The deep friendship between the two peoples has been constantly refined and sublimated.