Make Joint Efforts in Building “Belt and Road” through Enhanced Exchanges and Cooperation

Filipe Jacinto Nyusi

President of the Mozambique Liberation Front and President of Mozambique

African people has a long history of trading with Chinese people, starting from barter for exchange of goods like silk, porcelain, gold and ivory in principle of mutual respect and mutual beneficial, which are actually the core concepts of Belt and Road Initiative. Moreover, Mozambique and China share a time-honored history of people-to-people exchanges. In as early as around 1858, about 30 Chinese arrived at northern Mozambique. They stayed there and their predecessors are still living there.

“Working Together for Better Lives: People-to-People Connectivity and Cooperation”, the theme of the thematic forum on people-to-people connectivity of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, not only enriches the content of the Belt and Road Initiative, but also conforms with Mozambiques advocacy of strengthening exchanges and cooperation with peoples from all countries in the world. In consistency with the spirit of the ancient Silk Road, the Belt and Road Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping represents the pursuit of a more open world.

Belt and Road Initiative not only includes infrastructure construction, but also covers trade, finance, people-to-people exchanges and other fields, represents the strong desire of people of all countries to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the new era, and helps to spread common values such as openness, inclusiveness, mutual respect, and so on. Mozambique highly appreciates the concepts of people-oriented, harmonious coexistence, deepening cooperation and enhancing understanding pursued by the cause of the people-to-people connectivity of the Belt and Road Initiative. China has experienced thousands of years of development in civilization and suffered aggressions in its history. However, the Chinese people have realized national independence and made remarkable achievements in development through arduous struggle, and put forward the great concept of promoting the common development of mankind. Committed to integrating itself into the great historical process of people-to-people connectivity, Mozambique fully agrees to the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity put forward by the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Todays world witnesses intensified vicious competition between countries as well as continuous rising of protectionism and unilateralism, which being left alone, will damage the international order of multilateralism, and eventually lead to disorder of competition and global instability. Zero-sum game will only result in more conflicts, bringing about a large number of immigrants and refugees, so that natural resources cannot be effectively developed and utilized. Therefore, Mozambique hopes that while continuing to strengthen cooperation in infrastructure development with China under the Belt and Road framework, the two countries will further expand cooperation in the field of humanities, strengthen exchanges of experience in governing, promote the sustainable development of both countries and bring more benefits to the peoples of both countries. I believe that following the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, the Chinese people will realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This road is bound to bring happiness to the Chinese people.

In recent years, China has opened Chinese cultural centers in many countries in Africa, the largest of which is located in Mozambique. The Chinese cultural center will play a substantial role in promoting the cultural exchanges between Mozambique and China, and meanwhile will provide opportunities for cultural sharing among foreigners in Mozambique. Mozambique is ready to further deepen friendly relations of cooperation with China and all other countries around the world, and at the same time, improve the living standard of the people of Mozambique through learning advanced experience of development.