Forging a Dynamic Partnership

　　ChinAfrica： Chairman Zhang Dejiang joineda growing list of senior Chinese leaders tovisit Africa this year. What message did hisvisit send to Africa and what were some of thehighlights？

　　Fu Ying： China and African countries enjoy deeptraditional friendship. China’s ongoing progress in itsreform and opening up and the African continent’saccelerated rate of development offer greater spacesand opportunities for China-Africa cooperation. Thiscan be seen in the following aspects：

　　First， the convergence of economic interestsbetween China and Africa is expanding. In 2009， Chinaemerged as Africa’s largest trade partner， with bothsides showing increased demands of trade and investment.

　　Second， communication channels have becomeincreasingly diversified. Besides exchanges on governmentlevels， people-to-people contacts are also growing.

　　Based on the all-round development in bilateralrelations， China and Africa have developed sound coordinationand cooperation in a multilateral framework.

　　Third， there is no great divergence between Chinaand Africa and we regard each other’s success as ourrespective development opportunities. More importantly，China’s success is an inspiration to Africancountries and serves as a great motivator.

　　Chairman Zhang’s visit to Uganda was the first timefor a top leader of China’s legislature to set foot in thiscountry for the past 51 years after the establishmentof diplomatic relations.

　　The second leg of Zhang’s Africa visit took him toNigeria， where he attended a series of cultural activities，such as the opening ceremony of the ChineseCulture Center， “Experience China” activity and premiereof a Hausa-dubbed TV play series Beijing LoveStory.

　　What position does the Sino-African relationshipoccupy in China’s overall diplomatic strategy？How can legislatures promote the developmentof such relations through exchangesand cooperation？

　　China’s new leadership has a clear focus in developingfriendship and cooperation with Africa. While visitingAfrica， President Xi positioned the Sino-Africanrelationship as “a community of shared destinies” andvividly illustrated China’s Africa policy with words like“sincerity，” “real results，” “affinity” and “good faith.”

　　Legislatures can maximize the advantages ingovernmental and non-governmental channels andChina’s NPC has established sound exchange and cooperativerelations with parliaments of various Africancountries， including Nigeria and Uganda.

　　The emphasis of our work now includes：First，providing legal services for Sino-African cooperation.

　　On the one hand， we should urge the governmentsto earnestly protect citizens’ legal rights and interestsand adopt better measures to facilitate personnelexchange； while on the other hand， we shouldstrengthen education of the citizens of our respectivecountries， helping them improve their legal awarenessso that they will abide by the laws of the countrieswhere they live and work.

　　Second， carrying forward the traditional friendshipjointly established and nurtured by leaders of theprevious generations. The foundation of Sino-Africanfriendship is among the people and our hope is placedon the youth.

　　Third， communicating ideas more effectively. Bysharing experiences， we learn about each other’sdevelopment， and by introducing China’s history of development，we encourage African countries to choosetheir own development paths that suit local conditions.Fourth， bridging Sino-African pragmatic cooperation.

　　Utilizing the advantages of numerous talentedpeople and wide connections， legislatures can activelyassist to solve the difficulties and problems thatemerge in cooperative activities.

　　How can we clearly explain the concept ofthe Chinese Dream to Africans and help themrealize the opportunities this dream can bringthem？

　　The Chinese Dream visually depicts the great revival ofthe Chinese nation and reflects the ideals and pursuanceof the Chinese people of several generations. Inaddition， we have never been so close to the ideal likewe are today. As President Xi and other new state leadershave said， realizing the dream means people havebetter education， greater job security， a more decentincome， better social security， improved medical andhealth services， more comfortable living conditionsand a more beautiful environment.

　　The 18th National Party Congress put forward thegoals of doubling China’s 2010 GDP and per-capitaincome for both urban and rural residents by 2020 andturning China into a modern socialist country that isprosperous， strong， democratic， culturally advancedand harmonious by 2049. These are the two key historicaljunctures in realizing the Chinese Dream.

　　Many people outside of China ask， when theChinese Dream is realized， how will it influence othercountries？ The Chinese Dream follows the generaltrend of global development.

　　First， to realize the Chinese Dream， we need apeaceful and stable international environment. Chinaitself should also make efforts in this regard. Thus， theChinese Dream will be a positive energy in maintainingpeace and stability.

　　Second， the realization of the Chinese Dreammeans sustainable development of China itself. After acountry with a population of 1.3 billion enters a higherlevel of development， it will surely contribute to theeconomic development in its neighboring countries，and the world， and bring more global opportunities.

　　Third， the Chinese Dream is the same as thedreams of people in other developing countries andthey supplement each other. In the process of realizingits dream， China is also able to share its developmentexperience and opportunities with other countries. Atthe same time， we also need to foster our consciousnessand capacity of supplying international publicgoods.

　　How can we expound on the unique roles of theNPC in communicating with other countries，so that it can better serve the national diplomaticefforts？

　　The people’s congress sees communicating with othercountries as a part of China’s overall diplomatic program.For many years， the NPC has actively promotedhigh-level communication， encouraged institutionalexchanges and enhanced friendship with parliamentsin various countries and multilateral parliamentaryorganizations.

　　The 12th NPC focuses on the following aspects inits foreign communication：

　　First， enhancing the international community’sunderstanding of China’s political system and developmentpath. We should actively introduce to the outsideworld the system of the people’s congress and theachievements made in China’s democratic and legalconstruction， publicize China’s peaceful developmentpath and convey the will and opinions of the Chinesepeople.

　　Second， expanding legislative exchanges. Differentcountries have different political systems andare in different development phases. However， mostcountries pursue a common goal of seeking developmentand improving people’s livelihoods. In its foreigncommunication， the NPC deems it important to sharegovernance experience and learn from the legislativeexperiences of other sovereign states.

　　Third， actively learning about and promoting solutionsto the challenges in international cooperation.Many deputies to the people’s congress are experts inareas such as the economy， science and technology，environmental protection and entrepreneurship. Inforeign communications， their expertise and experienceare vital.

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