Zimbabwe Ambassador to China Martin Chedong: China's Poverty Alleviation Model and Yan'an Spirit Inspire Us Yan'an Spirit | Zimbabwe | Martin Chedong
Zimbabwe Ambassador to China Martin Chedong
International Online Shaanxi News: On June 5, 2023, the "Qin at a Glance on the Silk Road - The 5th Diplomatic Decoding Shaanxi Theme Activity in China" was launched in Yan'an, Shaanxi. Zimbabwe's Ambassador to China, Martin Chedong, was invited to deliver a speech as a representative. He stated that the Yan'an spirit has continued to this day, showcasing the sacrifices, courage, and willpower made by the Chinese people to achieve victory. Zimbabwe is striving to become a middle-income economy by 2030, and China's model of poverty alleviation and the enduring Yan'an spirit have inspired us.
The original text is as follows:
China and Africa have been promoting win-win cooperation through trade, and there is a similar past in terms of self-determination, which is the foundation of China Africa relations. Both China and Africa have faced the shame of being conquered, occupied for a long time, and plundered by the same imperialist power. China endured the brutality of the Opium War and imperialist rule, while Africa suffered humiliation, non-human slavery, and the destructive division of the African continent.
Both China and Africa share the common dream of independence, freedom, happiness, and prosperity, and have launched unremitting struggles for self liberation. In 1949, under the leadership of the CPC, China took the lead in achieving this goal. In this struggle, Shaanxi and Yan'an played a crucial role as the base and launch pad of the Liberation War. The Yan'an spirit has continued to this day, showcasing the sacrifices made by the Chinese people to achieve victory, as well as their courage and willpower.
This spirit has inspired many oppressed people around the world, and the liberation and awakening of Africa has also learned a lot from China's experience. Today, as Africa as a whole has been liberated, we continue to draw on China's rich experience in lifting billions of people out of poverty and becoming prosperous. Shaanxi adheres to this enduring spirit and is at the forefront of rural revitalization and transformation.
In addition to a shared past and shared expectations for future prosperity, we also need to envision China Africa relations. In this regard, China is a model of independent development guided by the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Through its chosen path, China has grown into the world's second-largest economy. While developing and growing, China does not engage in hegemonism. Instead, it chooses to share resources and experience with developing countries through the "the Belt and Road", the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. All these initiatives are aimed at building a win-win relationship, guided by the integration of world civilization and Chinese wisdom, and building a harmonious world.
Africa has a young and vibrant population. According to the United Nations forecast, the population of Africa will reach 2.5 billion by 2050. This is the continent with the fastest population growth and also the continent we hope for in the future, with abundant natural resources and strong population resources. Africa has all the strategic minerals and the largest uncultivated agricultural land in the world, which has the potential to nurture the world. Therefore, China's initiative to promote the establishment of cooperative relations is visionary and beneficial to the interests of both sides.
Regarding my own country Zimbabwe, we appreciate the strong bilateral relationship with China. This relationship can be traced back to the 1960s, when China provided material and moral support for our liberation war. After our independence in 1980, the relationship between the two countries developed into an all-weather friendship and was upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2018.
In this cooperation model, the current focus is on mutual support among politics, economy, diplomacy, and culture to achieve each other's core interests. Both sides adhere to the principles of mutual benefit, sincerity, equality, respect, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, uphold the concept of multilateralism based on the United Nations Charter, and jointly oppose hegemonism and unilateralism.
China has also been standing with Zimbabwe. In 2008, China exercised its veto power in the United Nations Security Council, blocking a resolution initiated by the United States and the United Kingdom that could lead to a military invasion of Zimbabwe. We are forever grateful. Zimbabwe is striving to become a middle-income economy by 2030, and China's poverty alleviation model and the enduring Yan'an spirit have inspired us. In this regard, we call on the Chinese business community to engage in win-win cooperation with us. Zimbabwe maintains an open attitude towards enterprises, providing a favorable business environment for them.Our President Emerson Mnangaguva's philosophy is to build Zimbabwe through the power of his own people and cooperation with his friends, which is also a driving force for China's investment in Zimbabwe.
Our various industries contain opportunities, including mining, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, health, tourism, trade, commerce, and information technology services. Opportunities are infinite, and many cross industry investors have established strong businesses in Zimbabwe. Interested investors are welcome to join. The Zimbabwean Embassy in Beijing is always available to provide you with assistance and advice on doing business in Tianjin. Let me reiterate that Zimbabwe maintains an open attitude towards businesses. We are friends of everyone and have no intention of being enemies with anyone.
This is my second time coming to Shaanxi, and I look forward to seeing the continuation and strengthening of high-quality development in the new era. I want to learn strategies on how to maintain resilience in adversity and apply them to Zimbabwe. I also want to see how China's development has withstood the challenges posed by the COVID-19 epidemic.
Finally, we look forward to a successful trip to Shaanxi and hope that we can reap fruitful exchange results and establish a long-term cooperative relationship.
