Second China-Africa Friendship Awards Ceremony Held

As part of the activity of the “2nd China-Africa Friendship Aw- ard” jointly carried out by the CPAFFC and the Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association (CAPFA) from March 2008 to November 2009， five African friends including former Zambian President Kenneth David Kaunda were chosen as the Five African People Who Deeply Moved the Chinese People while 10 Chinese， were selected as Ten Chinese Who Deeply Moved the African People.

The winners of the latter award were Liu Guijin， Special Representative of the Chinese Government for African affairs; Ding Bangying， Chief of China Radio International Africa Headquarters; Gan Lianxi， Head of the 20th Chinese Medical Aid Team for Tanzania; Luo Hong， Board Chairman and President of the Beijing Holiland Corporation Investment and Management Ltd.; Feng Ai (female)， Leader of the 1st Chinese Youth Volunteer Service Aid Team for Ethiopia; Yin Jianqing， agricultural expert sent to Nigeria by the Chinese Government; Professor Liu Hongwu， Director of the Center of African Studies， Zhejiang Normal University; Zhang Yong， Commander of the 1st and 3rdPeacekeeping Transportation Contingents to the United Nations mission in Sudan; Chen Xiaoxing， Board Chairman of Lekki Free Trade Zone Development Company， Nigeria; and He Liehui， Chairman and CEO of Touchroad International Holdings Group. The Five African People who Deeply Moved the Chinese People was specially established in the 2nd Awards Ceremony and the winners were: Kenneth Kaunda， the first Zambian President; Salim Ahmed Salim， former Secretary General of the Organization of African Unity; Youssef Wali， President of the Egypt-China Friendship Association; Alfred Sesay， President of the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Society; and Vital Balla， President of the Congolese Association of Friendship Among the Peoples.

The CPAFFC and the CAPFA held the awards ceremony by taking the opportunity provided by the convening of the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum. The ceremony， in the Beijing Hotel on November 12， was designed to show recognition of the winners’ outstanding contributions to China-Africa friendship， and to propagate their touching deeds and enhance China-Africa friendship.

The ceremony was held in a warm and joyous atmosphere. Abdul’ahat Abdurixit， Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference， leaders of the CPAFFC and CAPFA and 10 African ambassadors or charge d’affaires to China including the Ugandan and Zambian Ambassadors Madibo Charles Wagidoso and A.L.K. Mwape presented cups and certificates to the 15 winners or their representatives. The representatives of foreign and Chinese winners Kenneth Kaunda， Luo Hong and Yin Jianqing made impromptu speeches. In total， about 270 people including representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， the Ministry of Commerce， the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC and the Ministry of Culture， as well as council members of the CAPFA， journalists of the major Chinese and foreign media in Beijing， diplomats from the African countries’ embassies in China and the delegation of Zambian chiefs attended.

Kenneth Kaunda

Dr. Kenneth Kaunda， affectionately known as KK， became the first president of the newly independent Zambia in 1964， a position he held until October 31， 1991. During those years， he played a crucial part in Southern Africa’s liberation struggle and has also been a key witness of the development of China-Zambia and China-Africa relations.

On October 25， 1964， the second day of Zambia’s independence， Kaunda announced that his country would establish diplomatic ties with the PRC and four days later the two countries signed a formal agreement and exchanged ambassadors. He has paid several visits to China and met Chinese leaders including late Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. In the early 1990s Kaunda refused the Taiwan authorities’ offer of $300 million in medical aid in exchange for Zambia’s diplomatic relationship with the island. Although Zambia was poor， it was a matter of principle， he says.

Salim Ahmed Salim

Salim Ahmed Salim is one of Africa’s most renowned diplomats. He started his diplomatic career at the young age of 22， serving as Ambassador of Zanzibar to Egypt， which made him the youngest African ambassador at the time. China established diplomatic relations with the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964 when Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged. Salim became Tanzania’s Ambassador to China in 1969 and Tanzania’s Permanent Representative to the UN in 1970. During his tenure at the UN， he witnessed the PRC regaining its legitimate seat in the world body with the support of many African and Asian countries.

Salim’s tenure at the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was for a record three terms as its Secretary General from 1989 to 2001. Talking of China-Africa cooperation， Salim refutes claims that China is in Africa for resources. Salim， who is also AU special envoy for Darfur， commended China for its efforts to bring peace to Sudan’s western region of Darfur and its contribution to the unity of Africa.

Youssef Wali

Youssef Wali， 80， has been president of the Egypt-China Friendship Association， established in 1958， for four decades and has strived to boost friendly ties between the two countries. Serving as Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt from 1982 to 2004， Wali was also Vice-Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Party. He has witnessed the growing friendship between China and Egypt. He was once invited by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to visit some Muslim-inhabited areas in China， to learn about the life and religious activities of Chinese Muslims. On June 17， 2006， while attending the celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt in Cairo， Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao granted awards to five Egyptians， recognizing their contributions to the China-Egypt friendship. Wali was one of them.

Alfred Sesay

A native of Sierra Leone， West Africa， Sesay received his Master’s degree in Business Administration， Global Management， from the University of Phoenix， with a focus on cross-cultural management of business enterprise. Former Minister of Lands， Country Planning and Environment of Sierra Leone， Sesay has been President of Sierra Leone-China Friendship Society (SCFS) since 1992. The society has been a pillar for the growth of bilateral ties between the two countries since its establishment in 1971. Sesay visited China for the first time in 1992， when he received commitment of financial aid from the Chinese side to build a China House in the center of the capital city Freetown of Sierra Leone. With China House as its headquarters， SCFS is the sole non-governmental organization in Sierra Leone with its own office building， which hosts Chinese films， art shows and seminars.

Vital Balla

Vital Balla has been President of the Congolese Association of Friendship Among Peoples (ACAP) since 1974. Despite all the difficulties it encountered and frequent changes of government in the Republic of Congo， the association， which was established in 1966， has always maintained good relationships with the government of the day， and upheld the Congolese-Chinese friendship. Balla has visited China five times. The Committee for Congo-China Friendship under ACAP is dedicated to serving as a bridge between the two countries by promoting bilateral economic， trade and cultural exchanges. In 2008， when China’s Sichuan Province was hit by a devastating earthquake， the committee sent a letter expressing its deepest concern for the victims. This year， it has held various activities to mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Congo.

Liu Guijin

The year 1972 marked the beginning of Liu Guijin’s long association with Africa. A Chinese diplomat， Liu had lived on the continent for nearly 20 years when he completed his tenure as Chinese Ambassador to South Africa in 2007.

Director General of the Department of African Affairs of China’s Foreign Ministry from 1998 to 2001， Liu played a key role in establishing the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) proposed by China and many African countries. When the first FOCAC Ministerial Meeting was held in Beijing in 2000， Liu was its Secretary General. During his tenure as Chinese Ambassador to South Africa from 2001-07， bilateral trade rose from $2 billion in 2000 to $14 billion and bilateral investments doubled. In May 2007， merely one month after he returned from South Africa， the 60-plus Liu was appointed China’ Special Envoy on African Affairs and Special Representative on the Darfur Issue， putting him in an even more challenging job. “I love Africa— a land full of vigor and hope. I love the African people， who are optimistic， open-minded and friendly， and are friends of the Chinese people，” says Liu.

Ding Bangying

Imagine a foreigner beating you to take the top prize in a competition in your native language? Ding Bang- ying， Deputy Editor in Chief of China Radio International (CRI) and Chief of CRI African Bureau， did just this. He stunned the locals when he walked away with the first prize in 1983 in a Swahili language contest held by the Kenya Times newspaper. According to the newspaper， nearly 110，000 readers from three East African countries participated in this contest.

A graduate of the Beijing Broadcasting Institute (precursor of today’s Communication University of China) in 1969， Ding has dedicated more than 30 years to promoting communication between Chinese and African people. Fluent in both Swahili and English， Ding did exclusive interviews with eight African presidents and in 1988， was invited as special guest by then Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi to attend Kenya’s grand celebration of its 25th anniversary， becoming the first Chinese journalist to receive such an honor.

Gan Lianxi

Home is a place everyone longs to return to， but for Gan Lianxi， Chief Physician at No. 2 Hospital of Zao- zhuang City， Shandong Province， it was once so far away that he could only return to in his dream. Whenever he heard the song Homeland (by Kenny G， Grammy-winning American saxophonist)， his eyes would get wet， recalls Gan of his days working as a member of the Chinese Medical Team in Tanzania.

Since 1968， China has sent 20 medical teams to this least-developed East African country and Gan served on six of these for more than 12 years. From 2001 to August 2009 in particular， Gan served as team leader， sacrificing all his home-visit leave. “We made friends not only with government officials， including presidents， but also ordinary people，” says Gan. “It’s like my second home.”

Luo Hong

A baker-turned billionaire， Luo Hong is now more popular as a photographer and environment protector than as president of China’s largest bakery chain， Holiland， that has over 600 outlets nationwide. With a long-cherished passion for photography， especially wildlife pictures， Luo has been to Africa more than 20 times since 2001， leaving his footprints on all major wildlife reserves in East and Southern Africa. He has held photography displays at home， to help more Chinese learn about Africa and raise awareness of environmental protection.

In June 2006， Luo held a photo- graphy exhibition at the headquarters of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi， becoming the first Chinese to host a personal display at a UN venue. In November the same year， he set up a personal environmental protection fund in UNEP， the first of its kind in UN history. His aim is to make this fund 10 million yuan (around $1.46 million)-rich in five years. The first installment of 2 million yuan has been used for the protection of the Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya.

“I have traveled tens of thousands of miles to China only to find how beautiful my homeland is，” said Kenyan Environment Minister Kivutha Kibwana after seeing Luo’s photographs at the donation ceremony in Beijing.

Feng Ai

A doctoral candidate at the School of Fudan University， Shanghai， Feng Ai has been heavily involved in volunteer activities both at home and abroad. In August 2005， Feng let a group of young Chinese volunteers to Ethiopia. It marked the first time China sent volunteers to an African country. Feng’s mission there was to teach the Chinese language at Addis Ababa University. However， during her one-year stint there， her students were not limited to those on campus. They included current Ethiopian Ambassador Haile-Kiros Gessesse and his children， Ethiopian sport and immigration officials， and business people. And her service also extended far beyond just language teaching. Ethiopia has a high rate of people living with HIV/AIDS. Feng and six other Chinese volunteers visited a village in Addis Ababa with young kids either deserted or orphaned by their AIDS-victim parents， taking them shoes and books， among other things， and offering financial aid to a girl who was to enter high school.

Yin Jianqing

Yin Jianqing was born into a farmer’s family in a mountain village in Yunnan Province in 1971. During his early years， he never expected he would go to Africa some day to teach local people farming skills.

During the World Food Summit in 2002， the Chinese Government agreed to cooperate with the Nigerian Government in its Special Program on Food Security under the South-South Cooperation project of the UN. The project committed to field 520 experts and technicians to help Nigerians in their fight against hunger. Yin was one of them. Graduating in 1996 from the Yunnan Agricultural University， Yin is now a senior crop technician. “Growing up in a poor area， I’m fully aware of what hunger means，” he says.

Yin worked in Nigeria for three years from 2004 to 2006. He went to rural areas， visiting local farmers and doing field research， to find the most effective cultivation techniques under local conditions. Later， the maize yield in his demonstration field reached 500 kg per 1/15 hectares on average， more than triple the local yield. During this period， Yin also trained more than 1，000 locals in high-yield corn and rice planting techniques as well as in growing vegetables and fruit-tree grafting techniques.

Liu Hongwu

Graduating in 1984 from the Department of History of Wuhan University， Liu Hongwu is considered a pioneer of China’s African studies. As one of the first who went to the African continent for field study， Liu wears multiple titles， such as Director of the Institute of African Studies， Zhejiang Normal University， and professor and Director of the Center for African Studies， Yunnan University.

Long years of research on Africa have given Liu a special passion for the continent. He has trained young Chinese talents in African studies and has published more than 60 works and papers on subjects related to Africa. Liu believes that an “African empathy” is important for any scholar engaged in African studies. “Anyone who wants to study African history or understand the African culture must abandon any prejudice or disrespect toward Africa，” says Liu.

Zhang Yong

Senior Colonel Zhang Yong has been serving in the People’s Liberation Army of China for 32 years. In May 2006， he was chosen as a member of the first Chinese peacekeeping unit to Sudan， a component of the forces of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). In September 2007， Zhang went to Sudan the second time as a leader of the Chinese peacekeeping unit.

Braving the complex local security situation， harsh natural environment and living conditions， Zhang and his unit members completed various transportation and UNMIS-established construction projects， quickly and efficiently. They also helped local people with the reconstruction of roads and bridges， offered free medical services to local residents， and donated study and sporting materials to local schools.

In honor of their contributions to peace in Sudan， in February 2008， Ashraf Qazi， UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Sudan， awarded peace medals to Zhang and 19 other Chinese peacekeeping officers and soldiers， praising them as “true men of peace.”

Chen Xiaoxing

Chen Xiaoxing， Vice President of China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. (CCECC) and Chairman of the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos， Nigeria， has been received by several heads of state of African countries. He was the first from Asia to be given the title of “Chieftain” by lgbo， one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria， and has been praised by local Africans as “an eagle from abroad.”

Since he joined the company in 1982， Chen has been heavily engaged in CCECC’s business in Africa. So far CCECC has been involved in some 60 construction projects in Nigeria， with contract volumes exceeding $10 billion.

But Chen has never forgotten his social responsibilities. He asked all his construction teams to try to hire as many local workers as possible and help train them. They also repair roads and bridges， and build and reconstruct schools and other facilities in the communities surrounding their construction projects， all at their own cost.

“We Chinese businessmen come to Africa not just for projects and foreign currency. We are players in promoting local economic and social development，” Chen often says.

He Liehui

On his wedding day in 2004， He Liehui received an unexpected gift from his African friends—the “Chieftain” title given by the Nigerian Government. “I was so surprised since this title is a great honor in Nigeria，” He recalls.

He worked as a lawyer after he graduated from college in 2000. He quit and went to faraway Africa， to help his father who had a business in Botswana. Despite a difficult start， he is now a successful businessman as Chairman of the Touchroad International Holdings Group， which has branches not only in China but also in the United States and UK. Grateful for the friendliness and support from the African people over the past nine years， He has decided to pay it back. In 2008， his company held the Touchroad Investment in Africa Summit in Shanghai， with attendees including business people from 18 African countries as well as officials from the UN， Africa Development Bank and other international organizations.

He often invited African friends to China， finding business opportunities for them. In 2006， he was invited to be the chief representative in China by the Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority.