"Bring more development opportunities to co-build the country" (Speech of the Ambassador to China on Jointly Building the Belt and Road)

"Bring more development opportunities to co-build the country" (Speech of the Ambassador to China on Jointly Building the Belt and Road)

    "The successful holding of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is another important milestone in the process of jointly building the Belt and Road. The international community sees new development opportunities and new directions for cooperation brought by the Belt and Road Initiative." Martin Chedondo, Zimbabwe's ambassador to China, said in an interview with our reporter recently that the Belt and Road Initiative plays an important role in promoting national unity and cooperation and achieving mutual benefit and win-win results.

    During the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, China announced eight actions to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, which Cedondo highly appreciated. He said: "The current international situation is complicated, and the development process of the vast number of developing countries has been impacted. In the face of multiple global challenges, what the world needs most is cooperation. China advocates building an open, inclusive, interconnected and common development world. It has taken eight initiatives, namely, building a multi-dimensional connectivity network under the Belt and Road Initiative, supporting the building of an open world economy, carrying out practical cooperation, promoting green development, and promoting scientific and technological innovation. These initiatives have not only injected new impetus into the Belt and Road cooperation, but also injected new impetus into the Belt and Road cooperation. It also provides new ideas for revitalizing the cause of global development and addressing global risks and challenges."

    In Chedondo's view, the Belt and Road Initiative has created a new model of international cooperation. "Unlike some countries' protectionist efforts to 'decouple and break chains' and build' walls and walls', the Belt and Road Initiative transcends differences among civilizations, cultures, social systems and development stages. It brings together the greatest common denominator for the common development of mankind and brings more development opportunities for the joint construction of countries." Cedondo said that the Belt and Road Initiative adheres to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and all countries are equal participants, contributors and beneficiaries. "This open and inclusive mode of cooperation is essential to promote economic globalization and will help more countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals."

    "Belt and Road cooperation extends from the Eurasian continent to Africa and Latin America. More than 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations have joined the big family of Belt and Road cooperation, demonstrating the great appeal and global influence of the initiative." Cedondo said that the initiative not only focuses on economic development, but also emphasizes people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning, which helps co-build countries to enhance mutual understanding and strengthen friendship.

    "Zimbabwe and China are comprehensive strategic partners of cooperation. In recent years, the two countries have continuously deepened political mutual trust, achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation and continuously developed friendly relations, which has pushed Africa-China cooperation deeper and more solid," he said. Chedondo said that under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the two countries have carried out practical cooperation in economic and trade exchanges, people-to-people exchanges, public health and other fields, and implemented a large number of projects such as the new Parliament building in Zimbabwe and the renovation and expansion of Robert Mugabe International Airport, which have played an important role in Zimbabwe's economic and social development and the improvement of people's livelihood. "More and more Zimbabwean students are studying in China, and more and more Chinese companies are investing and doing business in Zimbabwe. The Belt and Road Initiative has promoted exchanges and cooperation in all fields and at all levels between Zimbabwe and China, bringing the two peoples closer together," he said.

    Cedondo also said that with the deepening of the Belt and Road cooperation in Africa, African countries have widely benefited from infrastructure construction, solid progress in industrialization, significant improvement in people's living standards, and continuous improvement in regional connectivity. The Belt and Road Initiative will help the African Union achieve its Agenda 2063 and inject vitality into the development of the African continent. As the world's largest developing country and an important member of the "Global South", China has actively shared its development experience with African countries, enhanced their capacity for independent development, and helped Africa accelerate its modernization. "We will continue to firmly support and actively participate in the construction of the Belt and Road, strengthen practical cooperation with China in various fields such as economy, trade, infrastructure and culture under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and other mechanisms, and work together to achieve common development and prosperity," Cedondo said.