Hunan and Africa Vow to Deeper Ties Based on Long-Standing History » Capital News
Zhao Kaiming, Hunan Academy of Governance
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China and Africa witness a long-lasting friendship deeply rooted in shared historical memories and cultural exchanges. Over the years, Sino-African cooperation has achieved innumerable great achievements, both official partnerships and friendly exchanges among the people, demonstrating broad prospects for deeper ties.
Throughout history, Hunan has flashed the glory of civilization. From a piece of “Red Land” that nurtured the revolution to the thriving economy today, Hunan, with its unique wisdom and resilience, has shown the world its spirit of “caring about the world, daring to be a pioneer, seeking truth from facts, acting with tenacity, and upholding inclusiveness”. The distant African continent, where ancient civilizations intertwined with the process of modernization with the help of Hunan, is painting a picture of a future full of hope.
The Hunan-Africa tie is a heart-to-heart connection and a reflection of common dreams. The encounter, though with a distance of thousands of miles, is mixed with accumulated historical and cultural heritage and promoted by people-to-people exchanges in modern times. The practical cases, from the joy of harvest of hybrid rice developed by Yuan Longping’s team to the cultural heritage of the Confucius Institute and the prosperous China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, manifest the two-way efforts and harmony of Hunan and Africa.
01 Sailing in the vast sea: Witnessing the Hunan-Africa thousand-year-old relationship
The Chinese often say, “Distance cannot separate true friends who remain close even when thousands of miles apart”. The thousand-year-old bond between Hunan and Africa, defying the obstacles of mountains and oceans, is rooted in shared historical memories and cultural exchanges.
On May 14, 2017, President Xi Jinping pointed out at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that “Over 2,000 years ago, our ancestors, trekking across vast steppes and deserts, opened the transcontinental passage connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa, known today as the Silk Road. Our ancestors, navigating rough seas, created sea routes linking the East with the West, namely, the maritime Silk Road.” These ancient silk routes opened a new chapter of friendly exchanges among countries and recorded big moments of human progress. In 1998, a Tang Dynasty shipwreck was salvaged from the waters off Belitung Island in Indonesia, named the Belitung Shipwreck or Batu Hitam (meaning “black rock”), the name of the giant reef at which the wreck was discovered. This shipwreck, which had been sunk in the seabed for over a thousand years, carried more than 67,000 pieces of Chinese products, such as gold, silver, and porcelain, more than 56,000 of which were produced in Changsha. This is an intensive display of time-honored “Made in China”, and a witness to the glorious history of the Tongguan Kiln of Changsha, the “world ceramic factory” more than a thousand years ago.
The Changsha kiln ceramics found on the Batu Hitam were decorated with calligraphy and painting, featuring poems and flower and bird patterns showcasing Chinese civilization. At the same time, these pieces boldly and creatively incorporated exotic elements, innovatively using applique techniques to imitate the lion pattern, bird pattern, date palm pattern, Hu people dance pattern, and other patterns commonly used on gold and silver vessels and carpet fabrics in the Arab region. These ceramics were exported to as far as North Africa. The shipwreck is like a “time capsule”, showing the grandeur of the ancient Maritime Silk Road back in the 9th century, and vividly reflecting the openness and inclusiveness of the Hunan spirit in the long river of history.
| A replica model of BatuHitam |
02 Seeking common ground: Deepening the Sino-African ties
The human society is advancing steadily forward as time goes by. After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, veteran revolutionaries including Mao Zedong, with their extraordinary strategic mind and vision, established mutual-support relationships with the African people based on sincere cooperation on the road of development and revitalization. China and Africa have been sharing weal and woe, and our friendship is growing steadily, which opens up a new era of Sino-African relations and deepens our ties.
The Tanzania-Zambia railway marks one of the biggest projects China has ever undertaken in overseas aid items in Africa, a symbol of the deep Sino-African solidarity, and also known as “the Freedom Railway”, the “Friendship Railway” and “the Railway of South-South Cooperation”. The extraordinary vision and selfless dedication of the Chinese government and Chairman Mao Zedong in the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia railway have won the profound respect of the peoples of Africa. Kenneth David Kaunda, Zambia’s founding president, had repeatedly expressed his admiration for Chairman Mao on different occasions and praised that “the peoples of our two countries are brothers, sisters, and loyal all-weather friends”.
On October 25, 1971, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to restore all lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations. According to US media reports, “With the support of 76 countries including Africa, Red China has been allowed to enter the United Nations”, and “African countries stand with Red China”. The highlight of Sino-African relations has been kept in the hearts of the peoples of the two countries.
Many African countries and their people have great affection for Mao’s hometown, Hunan. According to incomplete statistics, over 68 batches of African politicians have visited Shaoshan, including more than 10 at the level of head of state. The shared spirit and emotion have laid a solid foundation for the long-lasting Sino-African relationship, making it a vivid practice of multicultural exchange and learning in the world and a portrayal of the pioneering spirit and global vision of Hunan.
03 Sowing dreams: Cultivating the vast land of Africa together
Although Africa has abundant land resources and superior conditions for agriculture, it struggles with low agricultural productivity and significant food security challenges. Food scarcity has been a continuing difficulty on the African continent. Yuan Longping, the “father of hybrid rice”, not only revolutionized China’s food production but also offered a beacon of hope to distant Africa, helping to alleviate hunger for millions of people.
Madagascar, an island country in East Africa, has to import hundreds of thousands of tons of rice every year plagued by its outdated rice cultivation technology. The hybrid rice expert team led by Yuan Longping set foot on this land in 2006. After more than 10 years of effort, they finally cultivated outstanding hybrid rice varieties that are well-suited to the region’s challenging climate, featuring high yield, drought resistance, flood resistance, lodging resistance, and superior quality. Nowadays, Madagascar has a planting area of hybrid rice reaching 75,000 hectares, with an average yield of around 7.5 tons per hectare, significantly alleviating local food shortages. To celebrate the achievement, the pattern of hybrid rice has been printed on the local banknote with the highest denomination. In Burkina Faso, after introducing Chinese hybrid rice, yields have risen from 5 tons per hectare to over 10 tons. For many African countries, growing hybrid rice means that the dream of having a surplus at the end of year is no longer out of reach.
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Since 2007, the Longping High-tech expert team has adopted the “going out” and “bringing back” methods, conducting international agricultural training programs to cultivate a self-sustaining pool of talent locally. Over the past decade, Longping High-tech has trained more than 14,000 agricultural technicians for nearly 100 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with the majority coming from Africa. As Madagascar’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Harifidy Janset Ramilison put it, “Chinese experts are the ones helping us achieve our dream of food security. They not only provide us with high-quality seeds but also teach us advanced planting techniques and management practices. They are our good friends and our great teachers.”
The rice seeds, carrying the genetic legacy of Chinese technology and the humanistic spirit, thrive vigorously across the vast land of Africa, embodying the true meaning of “science knows no borders, and friendship transcends distance”. The spirit of Hunan, characterized by its humanistic pragmatism and concern for the world, has once again flourished, composing a deeply moving symphony of friendship between Hunan and Africa.
Friendship, which derives from close contact between the peoples, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. The Confucius Institutes across the vast continent of Africa shine like beacons, drawing states and peoples closer together and making the charming Chinese culture more accessible.
Since 2008, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Xiangtan University, Hunan City University, and Central South University have respectively established Confucius Institutes with the University of Liberia, Makerere University, University of Cape Coast, and Congo (Kinshasa) Foreign Affairs University. This has enabled the ancient Chinese characters to mingle with the rhythms of African drums, and enabled the Chinese rhythms to harmonize with African songs and dances. The Chinese culture is taking root, germinating, blooming, and flourishing on African soil. The Confucius Institutes have become hubs for language learning and cultural exchange, and also significant arenas for Hunan and Africa to “cultivate friendships through literature and promote virtue through friendship”, bridging the gap between the peoples. Despite the vast ocean separating Hunan and Africa, these connections are bringing them ever closer.
05 Working together: Promoting steady and long-term cooperation between Hunan and Africa
A commitment of great distance unfolds a new chapter. In the autumn of 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road during his visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia, marking a start in international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. It is a Chinese solution to address shared challenges and improve global economic governance, bearing the aspirations of corresponding countries for cultural exchange, a peaceful and stable environment, common development, and a better life.
The Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, to be held in Beijing in September 2024, heralds new opportunities for building the China-Africa community with a shared future. On the broad stage of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, Hunan is more than just a witness but an active participant and promoter. As the largest economic and trade cooperation platform under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo has found its home in Hunan and has been held three times so far. These grand events, bridging continents and cultures, not only provide platforms for economic and trade exchanges but also offer cultural feasts. The fusion of Chinese style and African characteristics exemplifies the continuous advancement of Hunan-Africa cooperation to new heights in the new era.
Hunan-Africa cooperation is developing in an all-round way. The scope of cooperation is expanding rapidly from traditional sectors like trade and engineering construction to emerging sectors such as digital economy, green development, and finance; The scale of cooperation continues to grow, with Hunan serving as a forefront player in subnational-level economic and trade cooperation with Africa. In 2023, Hunan’s trade with Africa reached RMB 55.67 billion, ranking eighth nationally and first in the central and western regions in China. This trade volume marks an average annual growth rate of 23.1% over the past three years, bringing China-Africa cooperation to unprecedented levels.
Though we live in different lands, we share the same sky. Guided by the principles of sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith for China’s Africa policy and commitment to upholding the greater good proposed by President Xi Jinping, Hunan will base itself on the two national platforms, i.e., the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo and China-Africa Economic and Trade In-depth Cooperation Pilot Zone, to carry forward the Hunan spirit and deepen “the Africa-China Dar es Salaam Consensus”. Hunan will always work together with Africa to advance the endeavors of win-win cooperation, harmonious coexistence, and shared prosperity of civilizations and to write a new chapter in building the Hunan-Africa community with a shared future, and will be a model for promoting the community with a shared future for mankind.
From the “Hunan Today” client
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