Luanda – Angola and China have, in 40 years of diplomatic relations, achieved important results in exchange and cooperation in several areas, the Chinese ambassador to the country Gong Tao said Thursday in Luanda.
Speaking ahead of 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, established on 12 January 1983, the Chinese ambassador said that the event opened a new chapter in the history of traditional friendship between the two countries.
He said in these 40 years, regardless of changes in international and internal situations, China and Angola have always been united in mutual assistance.
The two countries also have achieved important results in exchange and cooperation in various areas, setting several examples in terms of cooperation, he added.
He also said that, over the last 40 years, “we have set,” an example for South-South cooperation, and that the deep friendship between China and Angola was in line with the two peoples’ fight for independence and national liberation, making us good partners and brothers.
The ambassador added that we have always “mutually supported each other in the choice of our own paths of development, which correspond to our national conditions.
We understand and support each other on issues involving each other’s fundamental interests and main concerns, we jointly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core and support genuine multilateralism.”
He stresses that we “maintain” close coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs and “safeguard” international equity and justice and the common interests of developing countries, making contributions not only to solidarity and cooperation among developing countries, but also to the prosperity and stability of the world.
In its cooperation with Angola, Gong Tao says, China has always insisted on mutual respect and equality, has never added any political conditions to its cooperation and has never interfered in Angola’s internal affairs.
The diplomat noted that under the impetus of China-Angola cooperation, more and more countries are paying more attention to Angola and have strengthened their cooperation with the country. As a good friend of Angola, China is sincerely pleased with this.
In the past 40 years, Angola have set an example for China-Africa mutually beneficial cooperation. China-Angola pragmatic cooperation has been constantly developed and consolidated, forming an excellent convergence of interests.
“We have created a new model of financing cooperation. We have built an important cooperation platform: the China-Africa Cooperation Forum. We have deepened cooperation in the framework of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, reads the note, sent to ANGOP.
According to the statement, to date Chinese companies have built in Angola around 3,000 kilometres of railroad, 20,000 kilometres of road, 100,000 social housing units, 100 schools, 50 hospitals, and many more.
The diplomat noted that the work that had been concluded and was still underway included the Caculo Cabaça dam, the new Luanda International Airport, the new cities of Kilamba and Dundo, the Benguela Railroad, the Soyo power station, etc.
He referred to a large number of Chinese companies that had invested in Angola, making an important contribution to the diversification and industrialisation of the economy.
The armed forces of the two countries have exchanged and cooperated in the fields of military equipment and technology. The two countries have also carried out police cooperation. And the two sides have increasingly deepened personal exchanges and professional training, according to the Chinese ambassador.
To date, he stresses, China has been Angola’s biggest trading partner, biggest export market and an important source of investment for many years, while Angola is China’s second biggest trading partner and biggest oil exporter in Africa. China-Angola cooperation is at the forefront of China-Africa cooperation.
“Over the past 40 years, we have set an example of friendship between the Chinese and African peoples. China has actively supported Angola’s development and provided assistance through several donation projects, such as CINFOTEC Huambo, the Luanda General Hospital, the Centre for the Demonstration of Agricultural Technologies in Mazozo and the Venâncio de Moura Diplomatic Academy,” the statement said.
It said that in line with the needs of the Angolan side, China had organised training for over 3,000 Angolan officials in the fields of trade, agriculture, health, the media and the police; sent five medical teams, made up of 70 doctors, which received almost 400,000 Angolan patients; provided hundreds of scholarships for Angolan students, and helped to train Angolan talent in several industries.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the note stresses, the two countries have persisted in their solidarity and mutual support, and have carried out a series of fruitful cooperation in the areas of vaccines, tests and acquisition of pandemic prevention materials, promoting health cooperation as a new high point of bilateral cooperation.
Chinese companies in Angola are actively carrying out their social responsibilities, and several chambers of commerce and the Chinese community were enthusiastic about charity and continue to give back to Angolan society through charitable donations, scholarships and poverty alleviation projects, the statement said.
It said the Confucius Institute of Agostinho Neto University and other Chinese language educational institutions have given wings to Sino-Angolan cooperation.
More and more Chinese films and cultural products and show groups have entered Angola and the literary works of Angolan writers have been translated in China, helping the people of both countries to better understand each other’s history and culture.
“The great Chinese philosopher Confucius said, “at forty years old you have no doubts”. This means that a person, when he reaches forty, already has his understanding of life, and cannot be confused and shaken by external influences,” says the diplomat.
For Gong Tao, after 40 years, Sino-Angolan relations have already become a strategic choice of both countries, more mature and more resolute.
“We believe that under the leadership of the two heads of state and with the joint efforts of the two governments and peoples, bilateral relations between China and Angola will continue to grow steadily and vigorously, ushering in an even better future,” said the Chinese ambassador to Angola.
Source: Angola Press News Agency