DAR ES SALAAM – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for further strengthening China-Africa friendship when he met with Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Mahmoud Thabit Kombo on Friday in Dar es Salaam.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China and Tanzania share a long-standing and enduring traditional friendship.

Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Tanzania as one of the destinations of his first visit to Africa in 2013, where he put forward the principles of sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith in China's Africa policy, marking a new milestone in the history of China-Africa relations, Wang said while meeting the press together with Kombo.

This year's visit continues the tradition of China's foreign ministers making Africa their first overseas destination at the start of the year for 36 consecutive years, a practice China will continue to uphold and carry forward, he said.

China-Africa cooperation, he noted, is an important component of South-South cooperation, with strong internal momentum and bright development prospects.

The Chinese foreign minister summarized China-Africa friendship and mutual trust in three key aspects.

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Talking about jointly upholding justice, he said China and Africa once stood shoulder to shoulder in the struggles against imperialism and colonialism, in the fight for national liberation, and in the pursuit of development and revitalization.

China supports Tanzania in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, and development interests, supports the Tanzanian people in pursuing a development path suited to their national conditions, and opposes any external interference in Tanzania's internal affairs under any pretext, said Wang.

On jointly pursuing progress, he reminded the Chinese leader’s proposal that China and Africa work together to advance modernization characterized by six features and build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, providing direction for South-South cooperation.

China-Tanzania relations have gone beyond the bilateral scope and align with the historical trend of the collective rise of the Global South, he added.

On jointly advocating mutual benefit, he said China and Africa's shared pursuit of modernization is anchored in mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

China stands ready to further align development strategies with African countries, promote faster and broader implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Africa, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as agriculture, mining, and manufacturing, advancing hand in hand on the path to modernization, said the Chinese diplomat.

Friendship through TAZARA legacy

China and Tanzania once built the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) together, and today the two sides should also advance on the path to modernization together, the Chinese foreign minister said while meeting the press together with his Tanzanian counterpart.

In the 1960s, to support the development of Tanzania and Zambia, China – then not yet a wealthy country – decided to send a large number of engineers and technicians, Wang said, adding that traveling thousands of miles, they came to Africa and overcame tremendous difficulties to help the African people build the railway.

China was willing to help Tanzania, he said, because China and Africa share similar historical experiences and common ideals and aspirations.

Saying that the two sides should work hand in hand to revitalize the TAZARA today and enable it to play a greater role, he stressed that the railway should be transformed into a new engine of Tanzania's development and deliver tangible, visible benefits to the local people.

The two sides should also jointly develop industries such as agriculture, manufacturing and mining along the railway line, he said, in order to build a prosperity belt and an economic development corridor.

In China, the story of the TAZARA is widely known, and the spirit of China-Africa friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of the Chinese people, Wang added.