On 26th September 2019, H.E. Yang Zigang, Chinese ambassador to the State of Eritrea, had an interview with Eri-TV, Eritrea's national TV channel, and Eritrea Profile, the largest and most influential English newspaper of Eritrea, on the occasion of celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The full interview goes as follows:
Journalist: Mr. Ambassador, very glad to have the opportunity to interview Your Excellency at your residence. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. What are the main achievements China registered in the past 70 years?
Ambassador Yang: October 1st of this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. During the past 70 years, the Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, with their diligence and wisdom, have worked hard with concerted efforts and been committed to national development. Within a short period of dozens of years, China accomplished the process of industrialization, which would take several hundred years for developed countries to fulfill. This is a miracle attracting world wide attention.
China has achieved tremendous economic and social progress. China's overall national strength and international influence have grown with monumental strides. A secluded and backward nation has gone through reforms and opened up to the world. An impoverished and weak country has gained prosperity and strength. Today's China is closer to realizing the goal of national rejuvenation than ever before.
During the 70 years, China's GDP increased by more than 174 times, from 67.91 billion RMB in 1952 to more than 90.03 trillion RMB (13.6 trillion USD)in 2018, China is now the world's second largest economy, largest industrial country, largest trader in goods, biggest holder of foreign exchange reserves, and top producer of more than 200 products. From 1949 to 2018, China's per capita gross national income increased by 135 times, from roughly $70 to $9,470.
During the 40 years of reform and opening-up since 1978, over 700 million people have been lifted out of poverty, contributing 70% to poverty alleviation efforts of the globe. With living standards continuously improving, Chinese people's average life span has been significantly extended to around 77 years. By 2020, that is next year, we will build China into a moderately prosperous society and completely lift those in rural areas out of poverty. Currently in China, the coverage rate of the 9-year compulsory education reaches as high as 93.8%, while the basic endowment insurance benefits over 900 million people and the medical insurance covers over 1.3 billion.
While achieving economic and social progress for itself, China made tremendous contribution to the mankind and world economic growth. During the past 70 years, China's interactions with the international community have been constantly deepened, from integrating into the world to leading the constructive endeavors to build the world, and providing China's solutions to major international issues as well as formulations of important rules. For many consecutive years, China has contributed over 30% of the overall world economic growth, acting as a main stabilizer and power house for the world economic growth.
Journalist: Can you say some words about China's diplomacy?
Ambassador Yang: China believes that people all over the world should work collaboratively to build a shared future for the mankind, and achieve common development and prosperity for all. Holding high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and win-win results, China will unswervingly develop friendly cooperation with all countries based on five principles of peaceful co-existence and remains committed to building a new type of international relations featuring on mutual respect, fairness and justice, cooperation and win-win solution. China will always be a builder of the world peace, a contributor to the global development and a vindicator of the international order.
The Chinese culture takes "harmony" as the most precious thing. This point has been engraved into Chinese people's blood and soul. We think people don't necessarily agree with one another on everything, but they should all respect one another and peacefully co-exist. China's development will not constitute a threat to any country. Whatever extent China develops to, it will never seek hegemony or aggression. China will always respect the right of different peoples to independently select their development path, always maintain international fairness and justice, respect the world's cultural diversity, and advocate for cultural exchanges and mutual learning rather than frictions or confrontations.
China is opposed to imposing political wills onto others, opposed to intervention into other countries' internal affairs, and opposed to strong powers unilaterally bullying weak ones. China will never selfishly pursue its own development at the cost of other countries' interests, while on the other hand, we will never give up our legitimate interests. Anyone should refrain from forcing China to sacrifice its core national interests.
China will continue to promote reform and opening up, support multilateral trade regime, and push forward the building of an open world economy. This has injected certainty and confidence into the changing and chaotic world situation. Especially against the backdrop of a currently spreading unilateralism and protectionism, China's firm and consistent commitment to multi-lateralism, openness and cooperation well exemplifies how a major country lives up to its international obligations. China has no intention to conflict or confront with any other country, but only to seek cooperation and win-win results based on mutual respect. At the same time, China will firmly defend its own core interests.
In strengthening solidarity and cooperation with developing countries including Africa, China sticks to the right way of taking and giving, as well as principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and faithfulness. China will continue to double its assistance in various aspects to developing countries especially the most under-developed countries. The Chinese people enjoy a character of loving peace, seeking harmony and readiness to help, therefore China will never be absent from helping those in need and shouldering its responsibilities.
Journalist: We know that the Belt and Road initiative has attracted countries around the world to join in, including many African countries. So far what progress has this initiative made in the past years?
Ambassador Yang: In 2013, against the backdrop of deeply developing economic globalization, President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which adopts an approach of "FIVE CONNECTIVITIES", promoting connectivity in national economic policies, infrastructure construction, trade and investment facilitation, financing and people-to-people relations, on principles of mutual consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and involving continents of Asia, Europe, Africa, America and Oceania, in order to build a new platform for the growth of international trade, investment and the world economy.
Over the 6 years since its inception, the BRI has transformed from an initiative into reality, making new contribution to global economic governance and promotion of the well-being of peoples around the world. The BRI and its core principles of "mutual consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits" have been incorporated into outcome documents of important international organizations and mechanisms including UN, G20, APEC and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). By this year China has signed 195 BRI cooperation documents with 136 countries and 30 international organizations. With regards to trade cooperation, the total trade volume of goods between China and countries along the Belt and Road has surpassed 6 trillion US dollars. Having signed bilateral investment agreements with over 50 countries along the Belt and Road, China's foreign direct investment has exceeded 90 billion US dollars, creating new sources of tax incomes and employment opportunities. A report of the World Bank shows that the full implementation of BRI will help 32 million people getting out of medium poverty, increase the global income by 3%, and increase foreign direct investment in relevant low-income countries by 7.6%.
However, some people criticize China for using BRI to seek geopolitical and strategic interests, undermining international rules, lacking transparency, and accusing China of providing massive loans to relevant countries and plunging them into so-called "debt trap".
These criticisms are totally groundless. Their evil intention is to confuse and deceive the public by politicizing debt problems. I'd like to highlight that BRI is an open and inclusive public goods that can be shared globally. In implementing BRI, China does not seek any exclusionary blocs or impose its own will onto others. China has no geo-strategic calculations. The economic and trade operations under BRI are negotiated and conducted according to international norms and regulations, based on market-oriented operations with enterprises being the main actors, under the rules of market economy.
The reality is, the BRI construction has brought new opportunities and possibilities for all the developing countries including Africa, to complement each other's disadvantages, meet challenges, improve people's livelihood and achieve economic growth. We are pleased to see many African friends thanking China for helping this continent to reduce infrastructure shortages and promote sustainable development. Many of them speak out to support China and China-Africa cooperation. Actions speak louder than words. China-Africa cooperation is good or bad, and what role China has played on this continent, the African people have the biggest say. Actually, there are complex causes of some African countries' debt problem. It is a "growing pain" in economic development, and there is always a factor of the overall environment of the international economy.
Journalist: Last year, the Beijing Summit of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held, China and countries from this continent gathered together in Beijing to push forward China-Africa cooperation. what's your take on this Summit and China-Africa cooperation?
Ambassador Yang: In September last year, the Beijing Summit of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was successfully convened. This Summit is themed as building a closer shared future of common destiny between China and Africa, and outlined a new blueprint for China-Africa cooperation to achieve higher progress. President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony and proposed the "EIGHT ACTIONS" initiative for China-Africa all-sphere cooperation in the following 3 years. The initiative dovetails with respective development strategy of individual African countries and has been complemented well with great achievement being made.
In June this year, the Beijing Summit Outcome Implementation Coordinators' Meeting was held in Beijing, H.E. Hagos Ghebrehiwet, Head of Economic Affairs of PFDJ joined the meeting together with high-level officials from 53 other African countries, and discussed how to serve the well-being of the Chinese and African people through effective implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit.
The FOCAC Beijing Summit fully exemplifies China's cooperation principles of "seeking both righteousness and interests, taking righteousness first". Under the guidance of this Summit, we have every reason to expect China-Africa cooperation to become a more brilliant star on the stage of international cooperation, and set a good example for jointly building a shared future of common destiny of China and Africa.
Journalist: As the Chinese ambassador to Eritrea, how do you evaluate the bilateral ties between the two countries?
Ambassador Yang: This year also marks the 26th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Eritrea. Our two countries and peoples have been good friends, good partners and good brothers in the past, and we will be the same in the future. During the past two years in Eritrea, I paid many visits to the Northern Red Sea Regional Museum in Massawa, every time I could see a pottery ware on which four explicit Chinese characters are written, those characters are "万和禅山", proving that our fathers conducted civilization exchanges even in ancient times. Long before Eritrea achieved independence, both sides founded revolutionary friendship and comradeship. Although our peoples are far away from each other, our hearts are close and connected.
Over the past 26 years, the traditional friendship between our two brotherly countries has yielded new outcomes from time to time.
Mutual political trust has been cemented and both sides work closely in the international arena to maintain the common interests of developing countries. China has consistently supported Eritrea's nation building endeavors by providing Eritrea with many kinds of assistance within China's capacity. Bilateral pragmatic cooperation in various sectors has been constantly expanded, which has played a positive role in social and economic development of Eritrea.
People-to-people and cultural exchanges have turned closer day by day. Since last year, with joint efforts of both sides, a series of programs in cultural and sports exchanges, training and scholarship studies have been conducted effectively. These programs deepened mutual understanding and friendship of the people, and boosted our mutual learning and common development of the two great countries.
I am convinced that China's further development will usher in more opportunities for China-Eritrea cooperation, and with joint efforts, our bilateral cooperation will yield more fruitful results, only to better serve the well-being of the two peoples.
Journalist: what is your impression on Eritrea and the people?
Ambassador Yang: During the past nearly 3 years as the Chinese ambassador to Eritrea, I visited all the 6 regions of the country. The country and its people deeply impressed me. Just like the Chinese people, the Eritrean people are also peace-loving, united and ready to help. The 9 ethnic groups and different religions co-exist in harmony. At the same time, the Eritrean people maintain the spirit of resilience, which is fully embodied in Eritrea's struggle for independence and national development. Faced with hardship and setbacks, Eritreans strive forward with self-reliance and never give up. These similar societal values that our two peoples enjoy drove away my sense of strangeness on the first day I arrived in Asmara. I have visited more than half of the Afircan countries. In comparison with other countries, I most like the hospitality of the Eritrean people, the vitality of the youth, the tidiness of the streets, the cleanness of the sanitation, the freshness of air, the picturesque structures, the beautiful scenery, and so on. After several years of working and living here, now I can say that Eritrea has become my second hometown.
Under the leadership of H.E. President Isaias and the People's Front for Democracy and Justice, the Eritrean people have made positive progress in diplomatic, economic and social development. Since last year, Eritrea and Ethiopia achieved historic peace and the regional countries have improved their relations, which creates conducive environment for regional peace, stability and cooperation. The key constructive role Eritrea plays has been commended by the international community. In the new era, China is willing to work closely with Eritrea to make new achievements in bilateral cooperation in various spheres.