General

"China's modernization process does not follow the old path of the West, but follows the people centered approach. In this process, people are committed to reducing the income gap and pursuing common prosperity. I think this concept is very important, and we should take it back to their respective countries and practice it to ensure that development benefits all citizens."

Promote the development of international trade! On April 19th, the "African English Speaking Countries Parliamentarians Seminar" organized by the International Business Officials Training Institute of the Ministry of Commerce held its opening ceremony at the Great Hall of the People. The words of parliamentarian PILLAY ALIX SEBASTIEN from Seychelles in his speech expressed the common aspiration of African parliamentarians sitting on stage.

The seminar was the first offline discussion and exchange activity for parliamentarians held by China in the past three years. A total of 22 parliamentarians from 8 countries including Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Seychelles, Somalia, Uganda and Zambia participated in the seminar.

During the 10 day trip to China, legislators had in-depth exchanges on the theme of "The Mission and Tasks of Chinese Legislatures in the Process of National Modernization" at four special seminars held in Beijing. Afterwards, they visited and inspected Henan and Guangdong provinces to gain a deeper understanding of China's rich practices of people's democracy throughout the entire process, providing useful references for them to explore modernization development paths that are in line with their own national conditions.

At the opening ceremony, Zhang Qingwei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, stated in his speech that the theme of this seminar is "the mission and tasks of the legislative bodies of China and Africa in the process of national modernization". Through in-depth discussions, he hopes to make positive contributions to China and Africa's joint exploration of a modernization development path that suits their own national conditions and the construction of a community with a shared future for China and Africa in the new era.

Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy Representative for International Trade Negotiations, Ling Jin, stated in his speech that China is the largest developing country in the world, and Africa is the continent with the most concentrated number of developing countries. The profound traditional friendship between China and Africa is rooted in mutual support in the pursuit of national liberation, mutual assistance in achieving development, and a friendly cooperative relationship based on mutual respect, equal treatment, and mutual benefit. The course content of this seminar is rich, with distinct themes, which is conducive to strengthening mutual learning between Chinese and African civilizations and promoting the construction of a community with a shared future between China and Africa.

Zhao Fengtao, Deputy Director of the National Agency for International Development Cooperation, also said that the CPC has united and led the Chinese people to constantly explore the path of Chinese path to modernization for a hundred years, making important contributions to the theoretical and practical innovation of human society modernization. The exploration and practice of Chinese path to modernization has given developing countries new hope and new choices. China is willing to share its experience in governance with developing countries and make positive contributions to jointly creating a better future for global development.

In this regard, African parliamentarians from 8 countries, including Sebastian Pillay, deeply agree and look forward to it. Sebastian Pillay stated in an interview with reporters that China plays an important role in global development cooperation, including in opening up new development paths for other developing countries. Moreover, China is always able to establish equal and friendly relationships with its partners in cooperation, carry out international trade cooperation for common goals, and ultimately achieve a win-win situation.

That's why Sebastian Pillay chose to become a member of the "Seminar for African English Speaking Parliamentarians", and it has been proven that his choice is correct. This trip is not only interesting, but also of profound significance. I have personally experienced China's development, witnessed the achievements of China's modernization process, had complete infrastructure, and the people were happy. I hope to take this opportunity to learn from China and promote the development of Seychelles, "Sebastian Pillay said excitedly.

With the purpose of exchange and mutual learning, members of the parliamentary delegation of Botswana are also present. They stated in their speech that the mission of this trip is to gain a deeper understanding of China's political, economic, and social policies and plans to achieve industrialization, enhance global competitiveness, create wealth, and improve people's living standards. I hope that through this seminar, not only can we learn about China's development model, but we can also bring back some lessons that can be learned and adopted, which can be reflected in our country's development plans and economic vision, thereby promoting economic and social development.

It is reported that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1975, China and Botswana have maintained close relations and friendship. As of now, the two sides have signed more than 30 bilateral agreements and maintained high-level political interactions for many years. These interactions have led to extensive and in-depth international trade cooperation between the two countries in areas such as infrastructure construction, human resource development, health, development and technical assistance, culture and sports, national defense, trade and investment. In particular, under the framework of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, China has continued to provide Botswana with various forms of assistance.

Lesotho is located in southeastern Africa and is the world's largest 'country'. "As a democratic country, Lesotho believes in the rule of law, but at present the legislature still faces problems such as human trafficking, and we are willing to cooperate with China to achieve real democracy." For this research trip, legislators from Lesotho are full of expectations.

In the view of the legislator, since the independence of African countries, the Chinese government has been providing them with tremendous assistance, aiming to help them develop their national economy and promote social progress, which has won the welcome and praise of African countries and people. Especially in Lesotho, the Chinese government has helped build the Lesotho Parliament Building and is currently constructing one of the largest hospitals in Lesotho - Queen's Hospital 2. The people of Lesotho have strongly responded to this.

From the construction of the Tanzanian Railway, to the construction of the Kenneth Caonda wing of the Murongoshi International Convention Center, from the modernization of the Kenneth Caonda wing International Airport, to the construction of the new Kafu Xiaxia Power Station, the flower of friendship between China and Zambia has always bloomed unbeaten.

The friendship between the Zambian people and the Chinese people is unique. China and Zambia are equal to each other and solve various difficulties through mutual consultation. This is reflected in many major milestone projects, "said Zambian legislators looking forward to the future, Green development is the focus of China Zambia and China Africa cooperation. Zambia and Africa should become the center and stage of cooperation. We invite Chinese enterprises interested in lithium, manganese, copper, gold and other minerals to Zambia for international trade cooperation

It is reported that since 2016, the National People's Congress has organized invitations for parliamentarians from developing countries to conduct discussions and exchanges through foreign aid training platforms. At present, 11 seminars (seminars) have been held for various parliamentarians, training more than 240 parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from 40 countries.