Deep-Rooted Alliance

　　ChinAfrica： What is the status of the Sino-Tanzanianrelationship today？

　　Lu Youqing： The friendship between China and Tanzania istime-honored. About four decades ago， more than 50，000Chinese people came all the way to Tanzania and built theworld-renowned TAZARA Railway together with the localpeople， promoting the economic development of the twonations and supporting the independence and emancipationefforts in nations of the region. The railway has since becomea symbol of Sino-Tanzanian friendship.

　　As time goes by， bilateral cooperation is continuing todeepen. While providing necessary aid to African countrieswithin its capacity， China will lay more emphasis on supportingAfrican nations’ capacity-building efforts. This is inline with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remarks of “not onlygiving them a fish， but teaching them to fish.” Through thiswin-win approach， China-Tanzania cooperation will gain moremomentum.

　　So far， China has invested $2.5 billion in Tanzania， itssecond largest foreign investor. Over 500 Chinese enterprisesare expanding their operations in the country， creating about150，000 jobs. China is also Tanzania’s largest trading partner，with bilateral trade reaching $3.7 billion in 2013， up by 49percent year on year. At least 350，000 Tanzanians are engagedin trade or related business with China. Projects jointlyconstructed by the two sides include airports， highways，pipelines and power plants. When they are completed， theinfrastructure and energy supply will be greatly improved inTanzania.

　　How important is agriculture in bilateral cooperation？

　　Agricultural exchanges， including investment， agro-technology，joint research and training， have been the focus of cooperation.

　　The agricultural demonstration center constructedwith China’s aid China and the sisal farm， with investmentfrom a Chinese company， help improve the local agriculturaltechnology. When Tanzanian Prime Minister Mizengo Pindavisited China last year， he and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang witnessedthe signing of the memorandum on China-TanzaniaModern Agriculture Demonstrative Industrial Park to boostcooperation in this field. The industrial park will soon open.

　　Tanzania is rich in agricultural resources， while Chinahas advanced technology and a vast market. These make apromising future for the two sides in agricultural cooperation.What contributes to the rapid increase in China’sinvestment in Tanzania？

　　There are four reasons. The first is that an expanding Tanzanianmarket provides more investment opportunities. Second，the Tanzanian Government values foreign investmentand creates a favorable business environment. Third， the visitof Chinese President Xi Jinping early last year has invigoratedbilateral relations and fortified Chinese investors’ confidence.And lastly， the two sides both strive for sincere win-win cooperationand have solved all problems encountered in a timely，

　　efficient manner.

　　What do you think of the impact of the ConfuciusInstitutes and Chinese culture centers on peopleto-people exchanges between China and Tanzania？

　　Chinese people have created the lush Chinese culture in thelong history. During recent years， cultural exchanges betweenChina and Tanzania have yielded fruitful accomplishments.

　　We have held a “Focus on Africa - Happy Chinese New Year”event in Tanzania for five consecutive years to showcaseChinese culture in the country. Chinese TV dramas， like ABeautiful Daughter-in-law Era， were well received by localpeople. There are two Confucius Institutes established in theUniversity of Dar es Salaam and University of Dodoma forTanzanians to learn Chinese language and culture.

　　There will be a series of events to celebrate the 50th anniversaryof the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties thisyear， including theatrical performances， climbing Kilimanjaro，Chinese animation show， book fair and film week in Tanzaniaas well as Tinga Tinga Painting Arts Exhibition in China.

　　Are Chinese enterprises shouldering their corporateresponsibility in Tanzania？

　　I have been encouraging our Chinese enterprises to beaware of their obligations as they expand their operationabroad. Generally speaking， they did a great job. Chinesecompanies in Tanzania have created a lot of jobs andimproved locals’ working environments. They abide bylocal laws and customs and contribute to local tax revenue.Besides the business scope， they generously donate tolocal schools， hospitals， orphanages and charity organizations.

　　Whenever there are emergencies， Chinese workerswould come out and lend a helping hand. In the future， I willcontinue to support Chinese companies to contribute morein this regard.

关注读览天下微信， 100万篇深度好文， 等你来看……