Building a Community with A Shared Future for Mankind
— China’s Vision for the World and Relations with Somalia
The year of 2023 is turning out to be an eventful one. Though Covid-19 is no longer a pandemic, the world economy is still fragile, geopolitical situation remains tense, and global challenges like climate change, food crisis, floods, earthquakes and terrorism just keep coming. We human beings face crisis after crisis and we are left with no option other than to join hands across the world to overcome the difficulties united, not divided. This has made it all the more relevant to follow through on the vision to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
A Community with a Shared Future and Belt and Road Initiative
10 years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the vision of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind, which has demonstrated how China sees itself and the rest of the world. Its goal is to build a world that is peaceful, secure, prosperous, open, inclusive, clean and beautiful for all nations. It calls for building a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, equity and justice, and win-win cooperation, championing peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom as common values of humanity. It advocates the respect of the diversity of civilizations, seeing it as a blessing and strength of mankind. In this context, President Xi Jinping has also introduced the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, which have incorporated a shared aspiration of people from across the nations.
On 26 September, the Chinese government published a white paper to introduce the theoretical base, practice and development of this important vision and call on all countries to uphold the vision of a shared future, fully communicate and consult with each other, take governance responsibilities together, build broad consensus and take concerted actions to address global issues, so as to lend fresh momentum to humanity’s drive towards a bright future.
An important platform to pursue the vision of Community with a Shared Future for Mankind is the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI), also proposed by President Xi Jinping 10 years ago. This initiative follows the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, adheres to the concept of openness, integrity and green development, and strives to achieve the goal of high standards, sustainability and better lives for the people. It has become a popular international public goods and international cooperation platform. By the end of August 2022, the total trade volume in goods between China and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative has reached 12 trillion dollars. As a new paradigm of sustainable international cooperation adhering to the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, this initiative has shown ever stronger resilience and vitality, and will continue to build momentum for global development. It’s estimated that when fully implemented, the initiative will increase intra-BRI trade by 4.1 percent, and by 2030, the BRI will generate US$1.6 trillion in annual global revenues.
Certainty and Unity with Real Actions
In the first year to follow through on the vision set forth at the 20th CPC National Congress, China has continued to push forward the Chinese modernization. Its GDP grew by 5.5% to 8.3 trillion dollars for the first half of this year. it continues to contribute over 1/3 of global economic growth. This has provided much-needed certainty and stability to a vulnerable world economy. Meanwhile, China is also actively taking measures to help address the difficulties facing the world.
To meet global security challenges, China calls on all nuclear weapon states to reduce risks of a nuclear conflict. China puts forward its Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis and works actively with all peace loving forces, especially African countries to facilitate a comprehensive ceasefire, peace talks and grain exports from the Black Sea.
To meet global food security challenge, China put forward the Cooperation Initiative on Global Food Security. It has been the biggest developing contributor to FAO’s South-South Cooperation Programme. As the saying goes, to give fish is not as good as help people learn to fish. China has provided more than 1,000 agricultural technologies and has trained over 14,000 technicians for other developing countries, driving up local crop yield by 30 to 60 percent on average.
To meet the climate challenge, China takes the road of green, low carbon and sustainable development and promotes a fair global climate governance system for win-win cooperation. As always, we walk the walk more than we talk the talk. China is now the largest producer and consumer of electric cars, with more than half of the world’s electric cars. China is the world’s largest generator of hydro, solar and wind power. China being a world factory and market, its installed capacity of renewable energy has increased 3 times in the past 10 years, surpassing that of coal power.
On the road toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese path to modernization, China will work with all other countries and international partners to make every effort for peace, development, unity and progress, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Sincerity, Real Results, Amity and Good Faith are Golden Rule for China’s Relations with African Nations
2023 also marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi’s promotion of the Principles of Sincerity, Real Results, Amity and Good Faith and the Principles of Pursuing the Greater Good and Shared Interests in China’s relations with African nations. Over the past 10 years, under the leadership of Chinese and African leaders, China-Africa relations have made remarkable achievements, ushering in a new era of building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. President Xi Jinping has visited Africa multiple times, and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has convened two summits. We work together to fight Covid-19 and China has funded and delivered to Africa the building of Headquarters of Africa Centers for Disease Control. China has been Africa's largest trading partner for 13 years. China-Africa trade volume exceeded US$280 billion in 2022.
The growth rate of China's imports from Africa has once again exceeded that of exports to Africa. 52 African countries and African Union have signed up to "Belt and Road Initiative". Landmark projects such as the African Union Conference Center, Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, and the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway speak much louder than words, infrastructure projects such as roads, ports, airports, electricity and telecommunication facilities and have been built across Africa, enhancing Africa’s capacity of independent and sustainable development.
From August 21st to 24th, President Xi Jinping set foot on this land of hope, Africa, for the tenth time. He attended BRICS summit in South Africa, met with African leaders and made three new initiatives: "Initiative on Supporting Africa’s Industrialization", "Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization" and "Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development". This has demonstrated China’s further commitment to supporting the African modernization while advancing the Chinese modernization, providing a great boost of morale and confidence for win-win cooperation between China and Africa.
China Always Stands with Somalia
No matter how the times and situation change, the proud and profound friendship between China and Somalia has never changed, and the friendly relations between our two countries keep growing from strength to strength.
Mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual support is the hallmark of our relationship. China is a staunch supporter of Somalia here and on the world stage. Just in the past year, China has provided support to Somalia in security supplies, food aid, orphans’ care, training courses, scholarships, renovation of hospitals, schools and public institution buildings. With Chinese support and scholarships, hundreds of Somalis including diplomats, military officers, judicial officials, fishing expert, journalists and students have opportunities to go to China for training, education and exchanges. Many Somali business people have been to China as well and China remains Somalia’s largest trading partner.
Last year, we held “Tiangong Dialogue—Talk with Taikonauts” in collaboration with our Somali friends. Chinese Taikonauts in Tiangong Space Station had warm interactions online with Somali teenagers. This month, the award ceremony for the Africa wise painting competition with the theme “My Dream” was held in Mogadishu. The six-year old Somali boy, Kawkib Mohamud, won the first prize with his painting of a dove for peace. The painting was launched into space and exhibited and narrated in the Chinese space station by Chinese taikonaut, Mr. Zhu Yangzhu, 400 kilometers over our heads.
Today’s Somalia still faces multiple challenges in security, climate change and economic development. The Chinese side will continue to strengthen communication and cooperation with Somalis from all walks of life to pool our wisdom and efforts in line with Somalia’s priorities and work together to explore and advance cooperation projects in such areas as education, health care, people’s livelihood and security. We will continue to support Somalia in all areas in its pursuit of peace, development and revival. There will still be challenges old and new on our way forward. Our two countries and peoples have every confidence and resolve to work together to overcome difficulties to promote peace and development and create a better tomorrow for our two nations and the rest of the world.