China is ready to work with Africa, to jointly build a community with a shared future for humankind and address the uncertainty of the world with the stability and resilience of China-Africa relations, said Ambassador Jiang Feng, Head of Chinese Mission to African Union (AU).
Speaking at the commemoration of the 98th Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which was established in 1927 by the Communist Party of China (CPC), Ambassador Jiang indicated that under the strong leadership of the CPC, the PLA has made remarkable achievements in liberating the Chinese people and realizing national independence and rejuvenation.
It has underpinned the efforts to protect the country’s national sovereignty, security, and development interests and made significant contributions to safeguarding international peace and stability. The PLA has stood fast as a disciplined force for peace and justice.
After ensuring peace and security at home it is also important for any country to collaborate with countries of the world in peace, security, justice and development. Ambassador Jiang also indicated his country’s relentless works towards shared progress in development for which peace and security are priority issues.
“China will strive to safeguard world peace and development as it pursues its own development, and will make greater contribution to world peace and development through its own development, aiming to build a community with a shared future for mankind”
Members of the diplomatic community and military attaché of various embassies here in Addis have attended the celebration that took place on 18 July 2025 at Sheraton Addis.
During the celebration, Ambassador Jiang indicated that unprecedented changes are unfolding at a faster pace across the globe, thrusting the world into a new state of heightened turbulence and volatility. He underlined that there is a need to adhere to peace, justice.
“Shared prosperity should be the way forward to thwart the looming crisis globally”, Jiang remarked.
Ambassador Jiang further reiterated that peace is a highly valued asset in the culture of the people of China and peaceful solutions are the priority in addressing threats. As such the country has demonstrated its high regard and commitment to peace, mutual respect in its ties with countries of the world.
“The Chinese nation is a peace-loving nation and the Chinese people love peace in their nature. China has never initiated any war or conflict, never abused the small and weak, never formed alliances to seek hegemony, said Jiang”.
As the Ambassador underlined though China is one of the few countries of the world with nuclear power, and having a time tested strong army, it never resorts to forcible means to pursue its interest.
Rather, as underlined by Senior Colonel Guo Baojian, Defense Adviser of Chinas Mission to AU, China always seeks peaceful means and adheres to a policy of defense. He added that his country engages in ensuring world peace with utmost readiness to pay sacrifice.
“We have been always defender of world peace, a contributor to global development and an upholder of international order. As the largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping operations among the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping assessments, China honors its international responsibilities and obligations” , said Baojian.
The strong ties of China and Africa also speaks volumes in the effectiveness of pursuing shared prosperity, peaceful and win win approach that deeply takes in to consideration the real needs of the peoples of the two sides.
“Upholding peace and security, promoting development and prosperity are the shared call of the international community and the common aspiration of China and Africa”, Ambassador Jiang noted.
He further underlined the danger that the world is facing now due to the growing tendency towards Unilateralism, protectionism and hegemonism, which will surely bring chaos and harm to the international community.
China and Africa have a total of close to 2.8 billion people, which is about one third of the global count. They are a powerful portion of the global south that share many similarities. By working in close collaboration, the two sides can have a strong influence in peace and development. Ambassador Jiang also highlighted Chinas stance to reinforce its partnership with Africa in important global peace and development initiatives.
“China is ready to work with Africa to implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, jointly build a community with a shared future for humankind and address the uncertainty of the world with the stability and resilience of China-Africa relations”
In this regard, the all-round partnership of China and Africa has a potential to tide over the two major parts of the global south from the looming global crisis. The value of partnership with China is highly acclaimed to garner the desired outcome of political and economic prosperity.
Former President of FDRE Mulatu Teshome (PhD) lauded Chinas long time principle of pursuing common interests prosperity in its all-round relations with the developing world especially Africa.
“China has always been defending the common interests and pursuing common prosperity of developing countries through concerted efforts with Ethiopia and the whole Africa. We are proud to have a friend like China and we therefore share the joy of the Chinese people and the PLA on this occasion”
Mulatu has further appreciated the success that China achieved in the last four decades in the socio-economic field. He added Ethiopia and the whole of African continent have also benefitted from Chinas endeavor to ensure development at home and share its successful journey with global friends.
“China’s socio-economic development in the past four decades has been remarkable, making china’s modernization endeavors a reality. Based on the success stories of its modernization drive, china continued to promote mutually beneficial relations with the world by becoming a proactive player in the global economy and by using multilateral institutions where Ethiopia and other African countries are benefitting”
As the strong relations of China and Africa grew year by year the two sides have scaled up their ties with the institutionalization of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 25 years ago. Through FOCAC China and Africa have managed to elevate their ties to an unbreakable level as on September 2024, the two sides have marked the unfolding of the New Chapter in their ties with the All-Weather China- Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era.
This renewed commitment was expressed by President Xi Jinping’s Congratulatory message to the Forum that China will implement the policy of granting 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, and provide more facilitation to Africa’s least developed countries for their export to China.
Senior Colonel Guo Baojian also disclosed that China has played a unique and constructive role in maintaining peace and security in Africa, firmly supports the AU in carrying out independent peacekeeping operations.
“In recent years China has completed the handover of 100 million USD in grants in military assistance to support capacity building of the African standby force, strengthened friendly exchanges at all levels with African countries including Ethiopia, and carried out pragmatic cooperation in such areas as joint exercises and training, joint patrols, and personnel training. The military relations between China and African nations have been greatly deepened with fruitful practical cooperation.”
Viewing China’s successful history of political and economic development shows the immense role of its ability to ensure peace, security, and justice at home first and step-by-step contribute its share in the region and the world, too.
Much of the country’s achievement in ensuring peace and stability can also be attributed to the strong leadership of the CPC in the establishment and operation of the PLA. Therefore, taking a lesson from the Chinese success in this regard would be worthwhile.
“The Chinese dream which surfaced emerging as a process to promote national rejuvenation suggests that realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream of the Chinese nation in modern times. The PLA played a key role in Chinese impressive progress and modernization by facilitating the environment for economic development through guaranteeing peace and stability and magnifying Chinas role as a stabilizing force in the regions security landscape” Mulatu noted.
Ambassador Jiang reaffirmed Chinas readiness to foster its overall cooperation with Africa as it values the power of unity.
“Ancient Chinese philosophers advocate “mutual care and mutual benefit.” Similarly, there is also an African proverb: ‘Unity is strength, division is a weakness’. China stands ready to work with the African Union and all African countries in the same direction, and side by side”.
BY ZEKARIAS WOLDEMARIAM
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 22 July 2025
