Cooperation with China Brings Bountiful Results

By staff reporter MA YAN

CHINA and Djibouti established diplomatic relations on January 8， 1979. Located on Bab El-Mandeb Strait in the Horn of Africa， Djibouti benefits from being in a strategic geographic location. At an important transit point of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road， Djibouti is a natural partner of China.

For 40 years， the two countries have always maintained a sincere and friendly relationship on an equal basis， showing mutual trust and confidence through mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields. In late April 2019， Djiboutian President Isma？l Omar Guelleh came to China to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. In an interview with China Today after the forum， he expressed that he is satisfied and proud of the progress of China-Djibouti relations over the past 40 years. He spoke highly of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative （BRI）. “It is extraordinary and unique，” he said， adding that the relationship between China and his country can serve as a model of cooperation between a large country and a small country.

A Great Initiative

Referring to the BRI， President Guelleh did not hesitate to acclaim it as a “great” initiative. He explained afterwards： “It is an initiative of a great president and a great people for humanity. The Chinese government， determined and open， is heavily investing in the grand plan， and does not aim to benefit from it alone but encourages all the partners to actively take part in it so that they can also benefit from it.”

Since joining this initiative， Djibouti has signed many cooperation agreements with China within the BRI framework thanks to which the country is embracing major changes. “In this case， the bilateral cooperation is a winning formula，” said the president.

The most iconic example is the Addis-Ababa-Djibouti railway that links the Ethiopian capital to the port of Djibouti and started operation in October 2016. It has been followed by subsequent successes.

Inaugurated in May 2017， the Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port （DMP）， with its modern equipment manufactured by the Chinese firm Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company Limited （ZPMC）， is helping Djibouti to sig-nificantly increase its capacity to handle different types of ships and goods， and to improve its conditions and its commercial efficiency. The project was financed by the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority （DPFZA） and China Merchants Group and built by the China State Construction Harbor Construction and China Construction Eighth Engineering Division. It is a success story about which Isma？l Omar Guelleh is very elated， “The inauguration of Doraleh Port allows our country to fulfill its natural mission of being a logistics and transport hub.”

Close to the DMP， the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone was inaugurated in July 2018. Financed and built by the China Merchants Group， Dalian Port Corporation， and IZP Technologies， this extremely modern free trade zone is equipped with port and rail infrastructure， of which Djibouti has boasted. All this has already attracted many international companies and will encourage more and more companies to set up their branches in the free trade zone. “The free trade zone aims at becoming the largest industrial， commercial， and free trade zone of more than 48 square kilometers in Africa. We are ready to welcome companies， banks， and insurance companies from the whole world， especially from China，” said the Djiboutian president. The free zone will strengthen Djiboutis position in international trade and exchanges and bring new development opportunities. According to Guelleh， “It is also an area of hope for young job seekers.”

Apart from infrastructure， China and Djibouti have also written a new chapter of cooperation in vocational education. In March 2019， President Guelleh inaugurated the Luban workshop in Djibouti， the first of this kind in Africa. This cooperation responds to Chinese President Xi Jinpings call for the implementation of the eight initiatives launched at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. He had pointed out that China would establish 10 Luban workshops in Africa to provide vocational training for young Africans. “This is something that shows the vitality of China-Djibouti relations. This center is unique in Africa and will add skills to our youth，” said Isma？l Omar Guelleh. Indeed， the Luban workshop， initiated by the Tianjin Municipality of China and internationally recognized in the field of vocational education， is dedicated to railway technology instruction and training in Djibouti.

These are many examples that illustrate the synergy between the BRI and Djiboutis development strategy“Vision 2035.” President Guelleh said， “Djibouti sincerely thanks the Chinese government and people for their help and support in its economic and social development.“

A Bright Future

In November 2017， Isma？l Omar Guelleh was the first African head of state to officially visit China after the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China， a sign of the fraternal friendship between China and Djibouti. In the meantime， both countries decided to raise their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership， in order to promote more pragmatic cooperation.“Today， our cooperation has been enriched. It covers all sectors： diplomatic， commercial， military， cultural， and educational. Cooperation is sincere and sustainable， based on mutual trust and support，” Isma？l Omar Guelleh said.

However， some Western countries criticize Chinese investments in Africa， contending that it will lead some of the less developed countries into a debt trap. But Djiboutian president disagreed： “We are a sovereign country and we negotiate with China as with other countries， respecting sovereignty and prioritizing the well-being of our people. Unlike some Western countries， China has agreed to finance the infrastructure we need to become the regional trade hub we are aiming for.”

At a time when the international situation is complex and fraught with the rise of unilateralism， protectionism， and populism， the BRI， which promotes a community of shared future， is a win-win approach to the growth of the global economy and to the global governance. The president said， “China understood before they did what tomorrows world will be.” He went on to say， “People who are always pessimistic， who always try to discredit others， who have no propositions， no new ideas， and no prospects， but only discredit， discredit， discredit ... It does not help.”

Thus， Isma？l Omar Guelleh affirmed that Djibouti would continue to cooperate with China to contribute to global development and to the construction of an interconnected and better world.

“We are confident that our relations with China are among the strongest and I have confidence in the future. The strength of our relations with China is one of the key assets that will allow us to move forward and work for future generations and for a promising era of Africa，” he concluded.