On June 17, the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against Covid-19, jointly initiated by China, South Africa in its capacity as the Chair of the African Union, and Senegal in its capacity as the Co-Chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), was successfully held.
The Summit was attended by heads of African states and governments from members of the Bureau of the Assembly of AU including Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mali, Rwanda representing EAC, Zimbabwe representing SADC, Gabon representing ECCAS, Niger representing ECWAS, Nigeria in its capacity as the Chair of the UN General Assembly, Algeria in its capacity as the initiating member of NEPAD, Ethiopia in its capacity as the former Co-Chair of the FOCAC, as well as the Chairperson of the AU Commission. The Secretary-General the United Nations and the Director-General of the World Health Organization were invited as Special Guests to the Summit.
It is a special Summit held against a special background.
Now the Covid-19 is still raging across the world. The pandemic situation in Africa is still developing, and China is still at the critical stage of post-Covid-19 recovery. At this critical juncture, the Chinese and African leaders gathered together via video conference to discuss our joint.
Response to Covid-19, which fully demonstrates China’s sense of responsibility and commitment to supporting Africa in its fight against the pandemic as a major country and speaks volumes about the brotherhood, solidarity and determination of China and Africa to tide over the difficulties. It is our firm belief that this Summit will inject fresh and strong impetus into international response to Covid-19.
It is a consensus-building Summit. The participating leaders had an in-depth exchange of views on and reached broad consensus in the form of a joint declaration on supporting Africa’s fight against Covid-19 and promoting the China-Africa and international anti-pandemic cooperation. The Chinese and African leaders expressed deep concern over the global spread of Covid-19 and the major impact it has had on the lives and health of the African people and people all over the world.
They call on the international community to scale up political and financial support to the WHO, work in solidarity and collaboration, and share best practices to help African countries overcome the impact of Covid-19 and achieve independent and sustainable development. They call on the international community to build an open world economy, enhance macroeconomic coordination, jointly keep global industrial and supply chains stable and unclogged, and show strong support to the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the Summit. Proceeding from the actual needs of Africa’s fight against the pandemic, President Xi announced a host of important initiatives and measures that China and Africa will stay committed to fighting the Covid-19 together, enhancing China-Africa cooperation, upholding multilateralism, and taking China-Africa friendship forward. President Xi’s speech charts the course for our joint anti-pandemic efforts, and China-Africa practical cooperation and relations in general, and sends a clear-cut and strong signal to the international community that China and Africa will join hands to build a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.
The Summit demonstrates the strength of China-Africa solidarity. President Xi jinping pointed out that China cherishes its longstanding friendship with Africa. No matter how the international landscape may evolve, China shall never waver in its determination to pursue greater solidarity and cooperation with Africa. As good friends, good brothers and good partners, China and Africa have forged a strong brotherhood through thick and thin over the past half century and have always shown firm mutual understating and support to each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns.
The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. Given the unprecedented opportunities and challenges we face, closer cooperation between China and Africa is needed more than ever. President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the Summit showcased the depth and resilience of China-Africa solidarity, which, together with multilateral cooperation, serves as the key to the ultimate victory over the pandemic. All participating leaders spoke highly of China’s strategic achievements in pandemic prevention and control and applauded China’s quick and vigorous assistance to Africa’s anti-pandemic battle.
The joint statement unequivocally stated that China supports African countries in exploring development paths suited to their national conditions and opposes interference in Africa’s internal affairs by external forces. The African side supports China’s position on Taiwan and Hong Kong, and supports China’s efforts to safeguard national security in Hong Kong in accordance with law, which once again demonstrates the strong solidarity and mutual support between China and Africa in times of adversity.
The Summit sets a new standard for international cooperation. In recent years, multilateralism suffered backlash and unilateralism, protectionism, populism and racism have resurfaced. Certain countries have tried to politicize the pandemic, posing severe challenges to international fairness and justice. No country is immune from or can defeat the pandemic alone. Only through solidarity and cooperation can we defeat the virus and build a global community of health for all.
Committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind and safeguarding multilateralism and international cooperation, President Xi Jinping has successively attended the Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit, the 73rd World Health Assembly, and the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against Covid-19 and proposed a series of major initiatives and measures on enhancing international anti-pandemic cooperation and upholding multilateralism, which are acclaimed by the international community.
At this Summit, President Xi made it clear that China is ready to work with Africa to uphold the global governance system with the UN at its core and support the WHO in making greater contribution to the global fight against the COVID-19. President Ramaphosa said that Africa and China should strengthen cooperation under such multilateral frameworks as the FOCAC, the African Union and the World Health Organization so as to jointly respond to the pandemic and promote Africa’s economic and social development.
Participating leaders call for firm support for multilateralism, opposition to unilateralism and racism, and joint support for the leading role of the UN and WHO in international anti-pandemic cooperation. They expressed the opposition to politicizing and labeling of COVID-19 as well as discrimination and stigmatization. These important consensus are in keeping with the trend of the times and conducive to advancing international anti-pandemic cooperation, safeguarding the common interests of China, Africa and other developing countries, and upholding multilateralism and international fairness and justice.
The Summit marks a new height in China-Africa relations. At the summit, Chinese and African leaders unanimously decided to strengthen the joint action of uniting and fighting against the pandemic, and work together to build a China-Africa community of health for all. At the height of China’s fight against the pandemic, Africa has provided valuable moral and material support to China.
China has and will continue to fully support African countries’ response to Covid-19. China will lose no time in following through on the measures announced by H.E. President Xi Jinping at the opening of the World Health Assembly, provide medical supplies and send expert teams to Africa, facilitate Africa’s procurement of medical supplies in China, and speed up the construction of the Africa CDC headquarters. China also pledges that once the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccine is completed in China, African countries will be among the first to benefit. While implementing the G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), China will beef up its support to African countries and the heavily indebted countries.
Chinese and African leaders also charted the course for China-Africa cooperation in the post-epidemic era, agreeing to step up implementation of the outcome of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, with greater priority given to cooperation on public health, economic reopening, and people’s livelihood. China and Africa will also strengthen efforts to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative and broaden cooperation in trade, connectivity and data economy. The initiatives and proposals accord with the needs of China and Africa to coordinate epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development, and have played an important leading role for international cooperation.
As the co-host of the Summit and the Chair of the African Union, South Africa has made important contributions to the success of the Summit, which is highly appreciated and commended by China and Africa. President Xi Jinping and President Cyril Ramaphosa wrote and called each other on many occasions to exchange views and reach important consensus on China-South Africa and China-Africa cooperation in the fight against COVID-19. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the governments, political parties, universities, think tanks, media, and civil sectors of China and South Africa have reached out and lent a helping hand to each other to fight in one against the epidemic.
The Extraordinary China-Africa Summit On Solidarity Against COVID-19 is China’s another major diplomatic action towards Africa since the FOCAC Beijing Summit. Its full success once again proves that China has always been Africa’s most reliable partner, honoring its commitment to Africa with practical actions. After the testing time of COVID-19, China-African friendship will be stronger, and our commitment will be firmer to building a closer community of a shared future between China and Africa. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, humanity will ultimately defeat the virus, and that the Chinese and African people are poised to embrace better days ahead.