Working Together to Promote Development Cooperation and Create a Brighter Future for Mankind

Working Together to Promote Development Cooperation and

Create a Brighter Future for Mankind

Remarks by State Councilor Wang Yi

At the Opening Ceremony of the Exhibition of Achievements on

China International Development Cooperation

26 April 2021

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Good afternoon! It gives me great pleasure to attend the Opening Ceremony of the Exhibition of Achievements on China International Development Cooperation. I would like to begin by extending heartfelt congratulations to the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) on this successful event and a warm welcome to all friends old and new. I also wish to take this opportunity to introduce to you the new CIDCA Chairman, Mr. Luo Zhaohui. I hope you will support his work to steadily deepen exchanges and cooperation with CIDCA.

Friends,

Over the past seven-plus decades, China has gone through a momentous journey in conducting foreign assistance and international development cooperation. Every photo exhibited today glows with the spirit of humanitarianism and internationalism and mirrors China's contribution to human progress.

For 70 years, through foreign assistance and development cooperation, China and other developing countries have helped each other and progressed together. To date, China has provided assistance of various kinds to more than 160 developing countries, implemented several thousand assistance projects, including complete ones and material supplies, carried out more than ten thousand programs on technological cooperation and human resources development, and trained over 400,000 professionals in various fields for other developing countries. Chinese assistance has extended from Asia to Africa, from Latin America to the South Pacific. The dedication of Chinese aid workers and the friendship of the Chinese people have been crystallized into roads, railways, schools and hospitals in those countries. Tanzara, the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, is known as the artery of East Africa, and remains a landmark of China-Africa cooperation. The Karakoram Highway, reputed as "the eighth wonder of the world", bears permanent witness to the lasting friendship between China and its neighboring countries.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), under the strong commitment and able leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China, building on existing gains, has ushered in new prospects and made new achievements in international development cooperation.

The philosophy underlining China's international development cooperation has been constantly upgraded. President Xi Jinping, with his broad vision as a leader of a big country, has put forth major initiatives including building a community with a shared future for mankind and promoting Belt and Road cooperation. He has laid out the principles that donor countries must pursue the greater good and shared interests, and uphold sincerity, real-results, amity, good faith, mutual benefit and inclusiveness. All this has provided strategic direction and guidance for China in pursuing international development cooperation in the new era.

The mechanism supporting China's international development cooperation has been further improved. Three years ago, the Chinese government announced the establishment of CIDCA, providing important institutional safeguard for upgrading China's development cooperation with the world. We have also put in place the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund and established the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development to help other developing countries speed up capacity building for self-generated development.

The contribution of China's international development cooperation has been growing. In the face of global challenges and natural disasters in recent years, China has never stood idly by and is always ready to help. In the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Ebola outbreak, China spared no effort in assisting the global response. To contain the COVID-19 pandemic, China carried out the largest global emergency humanitarian assistance operation in its history and sent needed supplies to more than 160 countries and international organizations. Despite surging domestic demands, we are now providing much needed vaccines to 80-plus countries and four international organizations.

Friends,

China has kept to its approach and principle on foreign assistance and development cooperation throughout the past 70 years and more despite the various changes in the international landscape. Our efforts have been widely welcomed and commended by the international community.

We always pursue equality and win-win cooperation. China's foreign assistance is part of the South-South cooperation, and embodies the mutual support and mutual help between developing countries. It is a token of friendship and trust, and a way to pursue win-win cooperation. China never uses assistance and development cooperation as a leverage to interfere in others' internal affairs, never attaches any political strings, and never lectures on others. We always pursue mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit. And we always seek to consult with each other, build together, and share the benefits with other countries.

We always honor our word and pursue real results. In foreign assistance and development cooperation, we always honor our commitment, and we absolutely do not make "empty promises". We always try our best, as much as our capacity permits, to match our words with concrete actions for real results. For every promise we make, we will do our utmost to deliver against all odds.

We always aim at development and focus on "how to fish". The ultimate goal of assistance is to help recipient countries build up capacity for independent development. China stays attentive to the actual needs of recipient countries, and works to align assistance with their development plans. A consistent theme of China's foreign assistance and international development cooperation is to improve the livelihoods of local communities and build up local capacity for independent development.

We are always committed to openness, inclusiveness and mutual learning. International development cooperation is a common cause for the international community. We must make concerted efforts and say no to mutually exclusionary practices. China is always ready to draw upon the experience of others, and increase exchanges with developed countries and international organizations to explore third-party cooperation which, as a matter of principle, should be initiated, agreed, and led by the recipient country.

Friends,

Our world is undergoing profound changes and a pandemic unseen in a century. We need to advocate solidarity and cooperation to tide over this trying time. China will continue to work toward a community with a shared future for mankind, and align our development with that of other developing countries. We will continue to deepen international development cooperation, and contribute to common development and prosperity of the world.

—We will take health as a priority and vigorously support international cooperation against COVID-19. China will continue to provide vaccines and necessary supplies to countries in urgent need, and will facilitate the building of a global humanitarian response depot and hub. China will further engage in cooperation on medical science, help other developing countries improve their public health system, and work toward greater progress in global public health.

— We will focus on green growth and work steadily to meet the sustainable development goals. China will launch more projects of renewable energy, environmental protection and climate cooperation. We will share our experience in green development, and work with others to build the "Green Silk Road". We will implement the relevant international conventions on climate change, protect bio-diversity and help recipient countries build a resource-conserving and environmental-friendly society and beyond that, a community of life for man and Nature.

— We will focus on people's livelihoods and actively contribute to global economic recovery. China will pay greater attention to people's basic rights to subsistence and development, especially on the livelihood issues such as poverty, unemployment, hunger, public health and education. We will steadily increase supplies of global public goods, and uphold the security and stability of industrial and supply chains.

— We will follow multilateralism and promote global governance in development cooperation. China will always stand with other developing countries, and will actively participate in bilateral and multilateral dialogue and cooperation on development, enhance exchange and mutual learning with donor countries, and step up support for international organizations. We will advance the UN sustainable development agenda, and support other developing countries in strengthening weak links and breaking bottlenecks in development.

Friends,

What's past is prologue. The Exhibition today is an inspiration for us to start a new journey. I believe that China's international development cooperation will be even more promising. Working together, we will build a better world for all.

Thank you.